Let’s jet off to that vacation state of mind with The F16s. The Chennai, India-based four-piece is currently readying their “Is It Time To Eat The Rich Yet?” EP on October 22nd via the Oxford, Mississippi label HOUSE ARREST. The first single, “I’m on Holiday,” arrives today with a new video in tow. The song’s tongue-in-cheek title and breezy demeanor belie’s the indie-pop band’s struggles during India’s harrowing battle with COVID. Facing economic uncertainty and being forced to reapproach many aspects of everyday life, the F16s had to take a more DIY approach to record the upcoming EP. The group explains:
“‘I’m On Holiday’ can be construed as a classic case of denial and delusion behind familiar themes of love and tenderness. The track, like the rest of the EP, was perfected during the first wave of the pandemic. In previous releases, ‘WKND FRNDS’ and ‘Triggerpunkte’, the band enlisted outside help for mixing and post-production. The new single and EP had us shifting operations to Josh and Sashank’s place – we set up a makeshift studio to finish it, chopping and changing segments to our hearts content, while Harshan undertook the arduous task of mix engineer. The pandemic, in a way, forced us to work within our means and keep things in-house.”
Similarly, The F16s adopted a homespun approach to the video for the track. With a simple idea quickly burgeoning into next day execution, the band once again turned to their own resources to get the job done. Discussing the production, the group shares:
“Sashank sat in the director’s chair as we sourced our own props and items of importance, while our friend Shantanu Krishnan took the plunge with us as cinematographer. Mitra, the star of the video joined us with zero hesitation, providing the audience with the much needed distraction from our unsightly mugs. The band made up the background, convening for a picnic that goes comically awry…”
