To make it into the crowd for Bodega’s set when they play Jonathan Toubin’s Soul Clap at Elsewhere requires a fair bit of effort, strategic movement, and patience. But it’s worth it. On stage the New York quintet is a fluid sea of movement darting along to pointed rhythms and shouted post-modernism. That was two weeks ago, when searching for the band’s music revealed only outdated links to its predecessor Bodega Bay. On Wednesday, the band premiered its first single under the shortened name, a staccato post-punk piece called “How Did This Happen !?,” produced by Parquet Courts’ Austin Brown. The art punk influence is apparent, with vocalist/guitarist Ben Hozie half-speaking half-shouting monotone lines like “this machine you know it don’t kill fascists, this machine just softens its heart. This machine it killed the dream of the ‘60s, this machine you know it’s just a guitar.”
What’s Yr Rupture? is set to release the group’s debut album this summer. To accompany “How Did This Happen !?” Bodega has released a 360-degree interactive video, describing it as “a simulacrum of a typical night at our favorite Brooklyn venue, ALPHAVILLE. Some audience members scroll on their phones, others half listen (waiting to play), [sic] and those with light to spread join the show.” You can watch the video below and catch Bodega at Union Pool on March 10th, before they head to SXSW to play Pianos’ SXSW party on 03.17. – Cameron Carr