Today, Wonderland Rangers share a new kaleidoscopic, rainbow-drenched music video for “Window,” a song that encourages listeners to break through any perceived barriers in order to reconnect with each other more fully. The video’s colorful projections and sincere message echo the ongoing community work of guitarist and vocalist Timi Conley, who’s birthday happens to be today, and whom many will recognize as the organizer of the annual Wild Rumpus Parade & Spectacle.
Formed in 2015, the band—Conley (vocals, guitar), Shelley Lotus (vocals), Chris Byron (synth), Greg Surratt (bass) and Andrew Hanmer (drums)—has become known for embracing a wide variety of genres, stylistically pulling from a diverse range of musical influences and imaginative inspirations. “Window” lives up to this reputation, welding elements of new wave, neo-psychedelia and shoegaze into a unique sound of its own.
Approaching the melody with a stream-of-consciousness technique, Conley and Lotus penned the lyrics together as they naturally emerged in the first writing session. Written prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the lyrics suggest a reflection on the contradictory nature of technology—particularly social media—to increase feelings of connectedness and the ease of communication, yet simultaneously displace the raw, unrehearsed authenticity of real-life experiences. These ideas become all too relatable in retrospect, after an extended period of social distancing led many to rely nearly entirely on virtual interactions.
“Looking back on the words in the light of the changes we went through collectively, they seem premonitory, at least in an abstract sense, of the times we would be going through,” says Conley. “They’re very much about the feeling of seeing each other through screens, and also the idea of a ‘window’ which comes across as symbolic of flying through this focal point in history.”
Filmed and edited by Brasher Media, the music video was shot inside of ProBuilt, a new commercial flex space recommended by Gabriel Cymerman-Bird, which has big blank walls perfect for projecting psychedelic imagery. Jon Harper led the projections, Coral Sage did everyone’s makeup, and Gene Dixon loaned a generator to power up the visuals.
“There’s an interplay in the video of monochrome transitioning to full-color,” says Conley. “We wanted that to mirror the tension that builds in the song, to the release of the ‘choruses’ with the saturated Big Muff guitars and smashing drums. It goes from a Missing Persons kinda thing to My Bloody Valentine as the song changes gears.”
“Overall, we’re really excited to share this video,” says Conley. “We have worked hard to get to the point where something like this can come together, and the band is really tight, while remaining loose in the best ways. Personally, I am really happy for folks to recognize the talent in this band. Chris, Shelley, Greg and Andrew are amazing musicians—and people—who are seasoned from life and lots of other musical projects…lots of richness and depth here!”
Wonderland Rangers are currently putting the finishing touches on a new three-song EP—“Soul Mate,” “Crazy Love” and “Your Damn Hair!!”—that the band hopes to release this fall. Recordings for two other songs that the band has been playing live this past year are also currently in the works: a retro rap song named “Favorite Sounds of Yesteryear” and a cute ballad called “Ride or Die.”
Fans can catch Wonderland Rangers live on Wednesday, Sept. 4 at the Georgia Theatre Rooftop with psych-garage rockers HATCH opening the night. The show is free, and doors will open at 8 p.m.
To explore past releases and stay tuned for future ones, head to wonderlandrangers.bandcamp.com. For all other announcements, join the party over at instagram.com/wonderlandrangers.
WINDOW LYRICS
I see you
You’re see through
A maybe
-no clue
You’re plastic
Fantastic
But I can’t
get through
This window
My screen glow
These words are
so small
I wait and
the black sand
just swallows
it all
Am I here?
It’s unclear
The system
has crashed
Behind me
now I see
the window
is smashed
Revealing
the pieces
that fell from
the past
I reach for
your hand and
there’s no
turning back
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