The first release from the Lincoln pop punk trio Once A Pawn‘s forthcoming EP, The New Nude, comes off as an ode to the introvert with a hyperactive mind.
And the video for Once A Pawn’s “Talk To Me,” directed by bassist Mike Flowers, synthesizes a timid person’s night out with fuzz and quiet and the occasional head-back laugh.
In the video, a man and woman are staged for a romantic encounter during an evening at the Lincoln bar The Hot Mess, seemingly at the behest of friends who implant an idea in the man’s head that picks up speed and eventually spins beyond where the reality of the night will take him.
“We all like the idea of a random, fantasy hook-up or just even talking to someone we like, but when it comes down to it we fear rejection and maybe the consequences of actually hooking up. And everything becomes a lot more difficult to do than you thought,” says C Balta, drummer and singer for Once A Pawn.
Once A Pawn will release The New Nude on June 14 at Knickerbockers with Tie These Hands and Pharmacy Spirits. It’s their first release since 2011’s In This House and their second with bassist Mike Flowers, who joined the band after nearly a decade as just the duo of C Balta and guitarist Eric Scrivens. Both in their February Lincoln Exposed set and in this song, Once A Pawn can be heard a little slicker and a little more capable of dynamic contrast.
“This record is the one I am most proud of to date,” Balta says. “I feel like The New Nude shows how we are maturing and pushes the bounds of the style we’ve created over the years.”
“I feel like we have more control over dynamics than in the past, mostly because the first three records were written as a two-piece and you couldn’t get too quiet without sounding empty,” Flowers says. “On In This House we really opened up to the possibility of more subtle dynamic changes and we’ve just been getting better at it the more we play together.”
Watch the video for Once A Pawn’s “Talk To Me” below:
Video Credits:
Director/editor — Mike Flowers
Writers — C Balta, Eric Scrivens
Camera/lighting — Erik Dutcher
Acting — Laya Salumbides Martin-Tardy, Jason Martin-Tardy
Chance Solem-Pfeifer is Hear Nebraska’s managing editor. Reach him at chancesp@hearnebraska.org.