A few months ago, we reported that local folktronica duo Skinny Bones would be performing material from their upcoming album, ‘Ponta Delgada.’ The set at the Middle Upstairs represented a new direction for the band’s live setup, one free of guitars. On Halloween, in preparation for the album’s full release, the band debuted a new single, “Drop Bench Press,” and an accompanying video. 

The video, directed by Eli Susser, calls to mind some of David Lynch’s best, most disturbing work: it starts innocently enough, with various people hanging out on a nice looking beach. But soon, their normal activities start to take on a more disturbing, uncomfortable tone, like the close-up shots of one man’s peeling sunburn and another of someone applying sunscreen to a mannequin. Then, of course, there’s the dead fish, meat-stroking hands, and someone dressed like the gimp from ‘Pulp Fiction,’ just with a more 80s inspired color scheme. This one definitely constitutes a NSFW tag, unless you happen to work in a factory that makes demonically-possessed dolls or something. 

The song itself evokes a similar sense of dread, beginning with plucked acoustic guitar riff that gives way to electronic drum breaks and ghostly synths that revolve around the refrain of “Please love me.” Moving away from the airy, acoustic vibe of their first full-length, ‘Noise Floor,’ Skinny Bones have taken the time in between albums to explore a darker side to their music that has drawn comparisons to Arca and other purveyors of dark, dizzying rhythms. After you watch the video (and maybe take a shower to clean yourself), go favorite the single and follow Skinny Bones on Soundcloud to hear more from the album.