LA alt-rockers Rooney have revealed the romantic and carefree video for their new single ‘Why’, featuring admired French actress and musician Soko.
Soko, now an LA resident, paired up with her friend Robert Schwartzman, Rooney mastermind and lead singer, to add her blissful vocals to the track bringing a new dynamic to Rooney’s spirited sound. The result is an indie-pop love song that should set radios alight this summer.
In the video Schwartzman and Soko tell the story of a playful couple in the sunny streets of California. Deceptively bursting with hooks and bubbly melodies, the lyrical undertone speaks of love and emotions during a break-up.
Schwartzman explains, “The lyrics are about a couple realizing maybe this is it, maybe it’s over, my tears have all dried up, and we both accept this. The beat and music seems to say the opposite, creating some conflict in the song, which is actually true for love and our emotions. We have so much inside of us during a breakup, even if we know it’s right and must embrace this feeling”.
‘Why’ is the second single from the upcoming new album Washed Away, which is out July 29 th through Superball Music. ‘Why’ was also ‘Record Of The Week’ on Edith Bowman’s breakfast show on Virgin Radio, and follows the euphoric single ‘My Heart Beats 4 U’, the band’s first release since 2010’s Eureka.
Now after a six year break the long-awaited new album comes fully loaded with guitar-driven melodies and anthemic choruses as the ultimate reintroduction to Rooney.
Washed Away was single-handedly written, produced and performed by Scwartzman from his home studio. He reveals, “It’s about revisiting my roots, getting back into my skin as a songwriter/producer, starting over again. Over the years, making albums, touring, working with different labels, etc.., I kind of got away from that first spark that came at the beginning of Rooney, so I wanted to get back to that. Musically, I got to the heart of what I love and jumped in with two feet.”
Rooney recently performed ‘Why’ on the US TV show ‘Late Night With Seth Meyers’ and the previous single ‘My Heart Beats 4 U’ on ‘The Today Show’. Despite Rooney’s hiatus, Schwartzman’s DIY qualities and urge for creative output saw him co-score the music for the 2013 Gia Coppola movie ‘Palo Alto’, alongside Dev Hynes (Blood Orange), and collaborate with other artists like Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato. He also wrote and directed his first feature film ‘Dreamland’, a light-hearted comedy that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival this year.