MGMT writing in Malibu, scaring ‘Kids’ in video

Now that “Oracular Spectacular” rolls off everyone’s tongue as if it were part of our music vocabulary all along, MGMT will slowly be rolling out new material in live appearances this summer — possibly some songs they wrote while holed up recently in Malibu. Ben Goldwasser said in an interview with Australian radio that he and songwriting partner Andrew VanWyngarden have worked on new songs in two sessions, the first in the Catskills in upstate New York and then in sunnier West Coast climes.  “Some of the songs are definitely a little more introspective and then there’s definitely some more surfy, beachy stuff going on,” Goldwasser told Triple J in a phone interview to promote the band’s July appearance at Splendour in the Grass festival. Meanwhile, the band just released the video for the first song they ever wrote — “Kids.” And the video is … well, just plain weird, three ideas tied awkwardly together. On the band’s website, they explain the song has become “some kind of monster,” but at least it’s not a monstrosity. After the jump, their explanation of the video, and the piece itself:  MGMT is pleased to announce (finally), from an undisclosed tropical paradise, the bona fide release of the O-fficial video for the authoritative song known succinctly as: “Kids.” This is the first song we ever wrote, on a cold day in February way back in 2003. Yes, “Kids” is an Aquarius, but shows many traits of an Aries. The idea for the video was born about a year ago, at a mock-Italian cafe on Ninth Avenue in bustling Manhattan. We are both animated and stoked to reveal at this time that we once again worked with director Ray Tintori, someone who’s known this song since it’s inception. “Kids” has proven to be some kind of monster with a life of its own, both an albatross and a plate of mac and cheese with fake bacon (Annie’s), and the process of creating this video was nearly as convoluted and veiny as the general style of this here letter of introduction. As Jerry Garcia once rudely remarked about the eventual and unavoidable filling in (with sand) of the historic United States Grand Canyon, “What a long strange rip it’s been.” Without further ado, we give you:
“KIDS” – MGMT