The Shacks were recently featured in an iPhone 8 commercial, but they could have popped up in nearly any era by the sound of their wonderful new album Haze. They’ve made huge waves in 2018, but the tunes could be pure ‘68. Rotary organ like a lost Kingsmen joint? Check. A pouty, teen-drama vocal like the Shangri-Las? Oh, yeah. These anachronistic twentysomethings are proud to be the odd men and women out of the digital-recording rat race.
Above, we’re premiering the official live video for the title track to Haze, which was filmed at Diamond Mine Studios in Queens, New York, where the album itself was partially recorded. Says singer/bassist Shannon Wise, “‘Haze’ is a gentle lullaby that invites you to float into The Shacks’ world. We wanted [its video] to represent the feeling of the song, so we filled up the room with smoke and turned on some dim white lights.”
The tune itself has a sentimental history for the young group. Continues Wise, “It was the first song [co-founder and guitarist] Max [Shrager] and I wrote together. I had written the chords and some of the words, and Max helped arrange it into a song. We recorded a soft, sleepy sounding demo of us singing together while Max played guitar. When [producer] Leon [Michels] played it at home for his daughters, they called it ‘the sleepy song.’”
There you have it. A sleepy song and also a spooky song — and dreamy and lovelorn, too. All that with a couple of guitar chords, a warped organ and a smoke machine. You can see and hear it all for yourself above and check out the iPhone commercial below.