FEATURE: Indie Rock Act Bottled Up Soak Up The Good Times With Disco-Inspired Song & Music Video “Italo Love”

Washington D.C. indie rock collective Bottled Up have officially announced their new album Grand Bizarre is set to hit shelves on May 27th vis Misra Records.

Inspired by the bottomless pit that is the internet, Grand Bizarre taps into our collective dizziness from the onslaught of stimulation and turns it into a mirage of punk, disco, and DIY. From finding meaning in a world riddled with climate change, playing love’s supernatural mind-games, or, as frontman Niko Rao puts it, the daily act of “subconsciously submitting and surrendering to death“, Bottled Up make sure to keep things danceable.

From the collection comes their latest offering “Italo Love”, a steady and groovy track inspired by vintage Euro-disco and the sensations it evokes. Niko shares:

“There is something timeless about a good song, this sonic snapshot of human emotion in high-fidelity. It can make the concept of time disappear, it can make your whole body and mind feel different. I love it when a song gets me high, so I spent a lot of time dissecting my favorite stuff to try to catch this lightning in a bottle. I feel like the Italo Disco genre accidentally stumbled on something really pure about pop music. People who don’t even really speak English, are singing with so much emotion about nothing in particular, and you fucking feel it.

I felt parts of my brain clicking into place, and my understanding of music foundationally changed. Italo Love is a celebration of the surreal ecstasy pop music can create, our very own mutation of Disco and Europop. The video expresses the feeling of a good song; transporting you to beautiful surroundings or putting you on top of your car while you’re driving; changing you out of your work clothes for a minute. It’s still real, but like real“.

Bridging together those small moments of euphoria, the accompanying music video has the band outdoors, soaking up the sun and good times in equal measure.

Audiences can take in Bottled Up on their upcoming tour starting at the end of the month (dates at the bottom).

Dance along to the music video below, and dive into a more in depth conversation with Niko & Mikey from the band in the latest feature Q&A just past:

Interview with Niko & Mikey of Bottled Up:

What was the inspiration for “Italo Love”?

Niko – Lyrically, the song is all about visual language. I was reading Murakami, and I could see some sentences like they were painting a picture for me in my head. I wanted to bring that to the listener. I also wanted to write a song off the guitar so I could force myself out of my habits. I ended up naming the song Italo Love because it reminded me of Italo Disco; you don’t understand the lyrics but still get the feelings.

Mikey – Writing on keys liberated Niko from the typical guitar habits to come up with a whole new composition. It also forced him to look at verses and lyrics in terms of his timing, which gave him the idea to do this cool double time verse.

Has there been a song recently that you felt was a “very good song”?

Niko – Searching For a Feeling, by Maximum Joy is a new favorite. It’s fast, clever, kinetic, and I can’t believe I’ve never heard it before. It’s exactly the kinda lost gem I would nerd out about.

Mikey – I like Wet Leg’s Chaise Lounge cause it’s a stupid song that feels great. Being funny is really hard in a song, and I applaud anyone who is humorous. It’s almost a bigger risk than being a sincere, heartbroken soul.

What was the first component of “Italo Love” that came together?

Niko – Weirdly, it was actually the drums. I went into a deep hole of drum machines, specifically the ones Prince, Nine Inch Nails, and others used to use. I got really into sequencing stuff with the Linndrum, Oberheim DMX, and the Roland TR-808. Now I write most of my stuff on drums or bass first.

Mikey – For me, it was the little post-chorus which I wrote on guitar and it got turned into the sax and synth line. Really proud of that, and love starting with a melody.

How does “Italo Love” fit within the rest of the new album?

Mikey – Italo love is the nostalgic heart of the album and represents our transition from being a rock band to a non-rocking band. Not sure what we are now, but there is a bunch of new crazy shit on stage and it feels great. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the beat is now the center of our songs and not the guitar riff.

Niko – I feel like it’s this point in the record where the band becomes innocent and unapologetic to what the world wants us to be.

What would you recommend as the best way to experience/listen to “Italo Love”?

Mikey – While dancing with your friends who you haven’t seen in 2 years.

Niko – Either while you’re driving, or watching your dog play in the park.

Tour Dates:

April 29 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat

May 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Cafe

May 7 – San Diego, CA @ Kensington Club

June 8 – Baltimore, MD @ The Crown

June 10 – Atlanta, GA @ the 529

June 11 – Nashville, TN @ TBA

June 12 – Indianapolis, IN @ Healer

June 13 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle

June 14 – Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub

June 15 – Pittsburgh, PA @ The Government Center

June 16 – Philadelphia, PA @ TBA

June 17 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge

June 25 – Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong

Album pre-order link:
https://bottledup.bandcamp.com/album/grand-bizarre