Following the super sexy “Leather and Denim”, Brooklyn based queer indie avant-pop artist Boy Radio is back with the sublime “Don’t Stop, Run It”, his second single from an upcoming EP. Released today on streaming platforms, Boy Radio described the track to The Queer Review as “All singing, all dancing. It’s love, beauty, soul, R&B, pop, electro dance. The harmonies that me and producer Alec Gaston created are out of this world. When they start playing the guitar on the chorus and when we get to the bridge section where I reference mother Grace Jones feels magical. All of that stuff has been sitting in my heart and in my head for years. I’ve just been waiting for the right sounds to come, and they finally came.”
Also released today is Boy Radio’s first ever music video which accompanies the single, directed by Scream, Queen! My Nightmare On Elm Street filmmaker Tyler Jensen. Speaking exclusively with The Queer Review, Jensen reveals that he “listened to the track 2 or 300 times! It felt like a long-con seduction; someone who has been unable to secure a conquest in the past and refuses to give up.” Having fallen hard for the song, he pitched his vision to the artist. “The concept was a video from three separate identities: past, present, and future”, Jensen elaborates.
“I’d seen Boy Radio perform at the Glammys last year and with Drag Race star Alaska at $3DB in Brooklyn and thought ‘That boy is a star!’ When I saw that he was getting ready to release new music, I slid into those DMs as quickly as possible and asked who was doing his visuals. Before I knew it, we were on that ferry to Fire Island, along with Bryan Berretta, who helped us behind the scenes with lighting and playback. Together we made something gorgeous that I’m really proud of.”
When it came to securing locations on the famed queer New York getaway, Jensen says that they “lucked out”, managing to find “Not one, but two vacant spots on Fire Island Pines that didn’t have an issue with us taking over for a night. Thanks again Jeffrey and Gil!” In terms of the vibe that Jensen was looking to create, the director adds, “I wanted it to feel like partying in an abandoned home and these two locations matched the mood board perfectly with their retro wood paneling and mirrored interiors.”
“The beautiful thing about working with Boy Radio is that we’re both pop culture idiot savants”, Jensen continues. “We also have a similar sense of humor. I love his AI art with muppets for his last two singles, and it reminded me of watching Fiona Apple’s “Criminal” video on repeat as well as that particular movie poster from The Rules Of Attraction.”
“I’d originally planned for a dance break on the mattress like the Faith scene in Rules“, adds Jensen, “but then we found a late 90s clear analogue telephone and worked that in. We also fitted in a few nods to Tár and Aaliyah.”
By James Kleinmann
Don’t Stop, Run It by Boy Radio is available on streaming platforms now. Watch the full music video below:
See Boy Radio at one of his upcoming live shows:
June 4th – Swagger Like Us – San Francisco, CA
June 10th – Brooklyn Pride – Brooklyn, NY
June 23rd – Midnight Quickie / Toronto Pride – Toronto, Canada
July 22nd – Minneapolis, MN
August 26th – Jersey City Pride – Jersey City
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