Toronto-NYC indie rock power trio ON has unveiled the video for their latest single ‘Gator’. This infectious 6/8 groove is a hook-laden rock waltz, released via Toronto imprint Indiestructable Records.
ON is a power trio led by Lucy Di Santo (vocals, bass) with Dan Cornelius on drums and Steve Fall on guitars. Their latest music output sees the trio carry on the legacy of the band from which they were formed – 90’s Sire Records band Acid Test. its members have also been in other popular Toronto bands Danko Jones and Deliuss.
Filmed by legendary producer Martin Bisi at BC Studio Brooklyn and Steve Fall in Toronto and Naples, Florida, this video was edited by Michael Gucciardi. Frontwoman Lucy Di Santo invites, “Come on down – live in our oh-so safe Gated Community – you’ll live stronger for longer”, adding “Who is really living free here? I think it’s the gators in the pond.”
In the video, Di Santo plays a shady real estate agent, doing her sleazy best to sell the viewer on the idea of buying into a gated community, where you can feel safe. Meanwhile, behind pink homes and walls, alligators roam freely sunning themselves at will on gated golf greens. So who is really free?
The band has recently been recording their next album at BC Studio in Brooklyn, working with Martin Bisi, famed for his groundbreaking work with Sonic Youth, Swans, Brian Eno, John Zorn, Herbie Hancock, Iggy Pop, Helmet, Africa Bambaataa, Dresden Dolls, Unsane, Cop Shoot Cop and many other notable artists.
Dishing out infectious guitar riffs with a dash of groove, their adrenaline-laden music is a invigorating, the band paying homage to their post-punk, grunge, old-school funk and 90s college rock roots. ‘Gator’ follows up the band’s latest single ‘Make Me’, a song of frustration and wanting to recapture that euphoria.
“We had a cool riff and Lucy had a great melody but we didn’t have an intro to the song. We were working this up demoing it in Drew’s ‘Starsound Studios’ in Cape Coral , Fla. Lucy took a break, went into the truck we rented and hummed a melody. I copied it on my guitar through my cheap Blackstar practice amp w/the delay feature and we put it down as a track. The vibe just worked so we kept that original track in the main verse and as a hook throughout the song. And that original track stayed even as we added more layers and mixed,” says Steve Fall.
Dan Cornelius adds, “The song has a strong guitar hook and melody – and the drums are tailored to support and enhance those elements. So I thought the drums should be a drum pattern that anyone could tap along to ON their steering wheel while waiting for traffic. Simple drum groove. Simple drum fills.”
ON recently completed an extensive US tour in support of their critically-acclaimed ‘ON’ album, co-produced by Darius Szczepaniak (Sum 41, Black Crowes, Big Sugar, Bare Naked Ladies, Jann Arden) at Phase One Studios in Toronto. The album received extensive press and radio attention, not to mention charting in the Radio Indie Alliance charts consecutively for nearly a year.
‘Gator’ is out now and available from fine music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. The band will be playing select New York and Ontario tour dates throughout October.
