Jimmy Whispers preps new LP (watch "Your Car" video), touring w/ Oh Sees & more
It’s been four years since Chicago’s Jimmy Whispers released his debut album, Summer in Pain, and he’s finally getting ready to follow that up. Details haven’t been announced but he does have a new single, “Your Car,” a warmly romantic song radiating nostalgic vibes that features contributions from Dent May and Part Time’s David Ioca, and was produced and mixed by Woods’ Jarvis Taveniere. Jimmy directed the video, a tale of young love that hearkens back to the early MTV days when music videos were their own little stories.
“In the past five years or so we’ve seen story almost completely disappear from music videos,” laments Jimmy. “Directors get a couple beautiful expensive shots and editors cut between them for the entire duration of the song. You can watch the first 30 seconds and it’s the same as the last 30 seconds. It’s boring. They look very beautiful but go nowhere. This is reflective of our short attention span as a culture, and prioritizing aesthetic over substance.” He adds, “This music video is more of a short film. There are characters. There is emotion and story. If you only watch 30 seconds of it, you’re missing the whole thing.” He did a great job and the “Your Car” video premieres in this post and you can watch (and read more from Jimmy on the video and new record) below.
Jimmy Whispers is on tour this month, including dates with Oh Sees and Tweens. He’s got two Brooklyn shows: a headline show at Baby’s All Right on October 19 with Lionllimb and Samantha Urbani DJing (tickets), and he’ll open for Oh Sees at Warsaw on October 20 which is also with Prettiest Eyes (tickets). All dates are listed below.
A WORD FROM JIMMY ON MAKING THE VIDEO:
Last week, Martin Scorsese said of the Marvel movies in an interview with Empire:
“Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”
I related to this sentiment, concerning what I’ve been trying to do with music videos. Music can convey deep emotional and psychological experiences. So why don’t music videos follow suit and mirror the music?
In the past 5 years or so we’ve seen story almost completely disappear from music videos. Directors get a couple beautiful expensive shots and editors cut between them for the entire duration of the song. You can watch the first 30 seconds and it’s the same as the last 30 seconds. It’s boring. They look very beautiful but go no where. This is reflective of our short attention span as a culture, and prioritizing aesthetic over substance.
This music video is more of a short film. There are characters. There is emotion and story. If you only watch 30 seconds of it, you’re missing the whole thing.
It’s been four years since I’ve released any music. Why? I was an emotional trainwreck in a state of artistic paralysis. I had to find myself first. This led me to giving up drugs and alcohol. Clarity has given me the ability to finish recordings and discover new talents I didn’t know I had. One of them was directing and editing film. This is the first music video I’ve ever made. Enjoy!
-Jimmy
Jimmy Whispers – 2019 Tour Dates
10/11 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall #
10/12 – Ft Wayne, IN @ Brass Rail
10/13 – Chicago, IL @ Hideout
10/15 – Indianapolis, IN @ Healer
10/16 – Cincinnati, OH @ Northside Yacht Club %
10/17 – Cleveland, OH @ Happy Dog %
10/18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Ortlieb’s
10/19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
10/20 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw #
10/21 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
10/22 – Lexington, KY @ Best Friend Bar
# = w/ Oh Sees and Prettiest Eyes
% = w/ Tweens
