First single 'Water Underground' is out now, along with a music video inspired by Nickelodeon's popular 1990s sitcom 'The Adventures of Pete & Pete'. The clip was directed by Edmond Hawkins and stars fellow New Jersey native and Pete & Pete star Danny Tamberelli, as well as former co-star Michael C. Maronna. Filmed in suburban New Jersey, the video was conceptualised and produced by Tamberelli and Maronna, along with creators Chris Viscardi and Will McRobb.
“This song is about writing songs,” stated frontman and lyricist Martin Courtney. “I think ‘Water Underground’ is like the unconscious, the mysterious part of your brain where creativity comes from. The constant flow of music in the back of your head. You get an idea while driving or walking the dog or something and you want to hold on to it.”
“New Jersey roots are hard to break,” says Tamberelli, who was approached about collaborating by Real Estate’s Pete & Pete-loving members. “Julian, Alex and Martin all grew up one town away from me and were actually friends with the younger siblings of my friends from Ridgewood. They told me they even saw me perform at the local bandshell with some of those older siblings while I was in high school. The video brings it full circle and adding my dear old friends from the show into the fold really tied it all together.”
The songs on 'Daniel' are effortless but artful. They shimmer and shine without hesitation or doubt, combining the uninhibited wonder of Real Estate's earliest work with the earned perspective of adulthood.
In Nashville, Real Estate shared a rented apartment and, after the imposition of the separation of the last few years, found themselves in close quarters. A few days into recording, they were discussing album titles when someone suggested 'Daniel', simply because it seemed like a good idea to give a record a human name. Was it for Daniel Tashian? Maybe. Was it the sign of a band that has been around long enough to take its music seriously without taking itself or its perception too seriously? Absolutely.
