Chad VanGaalen Grows His Animated Universe With New Video “Samuari Sword”

Multimedia creator and multi-instrumentalist Chad VanGaalen has announced his new album World’s Most Stressed Out Gardener will be available on March 19th via Flemish Eye & Sub Pop. Known for combining his talents in music and animation, the announcement comes alongside one of his most captivating music videos to date for the single “Samuari Sword”.

The short film follows a misplaced samurai sword borrowed from a eccentric thrift store owner, soundtracked by VanGaalen’s familiar vocals and playful instrumentation, most notably the song’s percussive detailing. “I had just ripped a bunch of old leaking copper pipe out of my basement in a reno job that I jumped into willy nilly”, VanGaalen explains. “Realizing how magical the pipes sounded, I put them on some dirty styrofoam and banged out the janky beat that introduces the song! Garbage is life.”

Chad VanGaalen (Photo by Sebastian Buzzalino)

He continues, “It just spilled out in a couple minutes. I didn’t try to stop it because I was smiling like I was just cruising through my neighbourhood. Simple like a sandbox. An ode to the simplicity. It’s hard to let things be simple. But simple is easy on the mind, and being jovial in song is something I find really difficult. Why? What?”

As for the “Samurai Sword” video, he elaborates, “I was drawing black and white plant backgrounds for this song because of the great old samurai movies of the past. I like how nature sometimes takes the lead. I was getting all knotted in my mind about the sky. I looked at my dad’s watercolor paintings of a sky, and felt like I couldn’t get the feel right. So, I just borrowed his sky for a scene and then I realized that my dad’s paintings were perfect and already full of real life energy. I used them to finish the video and felt like we got to go on this quest together. In my mind. Fuck time.”

In tune with his imaginative spirit, VanGaalen has also created the “Samurai Sword Scavenger Hunt” contest, with Easter eggs hidden throughout the video and weekly prizes for fans who find them. From now until February 18th, he will share something hidden within the video and viewers can enter to win a prize pack from VanGaalen, including a copy of World’s Most Stressed Out Gardener, as well as some unique personalized items made by VanGaalen himself. At the end of the contest one person that entered each week will be awarded a grand prize. To enter, head to https://chadvangaalen.com/samuraisword.

Get lost in the world below and don’t forget to pre-order the LP here.