“HOLY SMOKES!” ALT-POP ARTIST SHOOP IS BACK!
Los Angeles-based artist and producer SHOOP shares “Holy Smokes!”, his latest genre-mashing single and a blisteringly bright tribute to the fine line between not wanting a good thing to end and having no idea what’s supposed to come next. Listen via Epic Records and watch the official music video, which captures a palpable end-of-summer energy.
“Holy Smokes!” hits like a sunny day without a care in the world, or any shade in sight. Teaming up with cowriters Jonah Shy (Chappell Roan, Dermot Kennedy) and Paul Dally (an artist in his own right), and co-producer Suzy Shinn (Modest Mouse, Weezer), SHOOP collages fuzzy new wave, boot-scuffing boogie-rock, and sun-baked alt-pop into a ramshackle sing-along. “I wish we didn’t have to die, I wish we crashed out tonight / It’s always been about a girl, It’s always been one more night,” he sings before the chorus: “Holy smokes! Holy shit! / I’m on my way back home to Lafayette Street, on the balcony waiting.”
SHOOP shared his thoughts about the song: “‘Holy Smokes!’ is ironic because it sonically is so happy and fun, but it’s about realizing how easy it is to want so many things that seem impossible, almost to a point of it being depressing to even get close to attaining any of them — wishing for this, wishing for that. It’s a scary thing that a lot of us can do with expecting the grass to always be greener, but ultimately you’re left on a balcony just waiting for something to make sense and tell you it’s all gonna work out.”
The “Holy Smokes!” music video brings that sentiment to life, following SHOOP as he wakes up inside of a vintage red hot rod and starts his day. He sorts through car parts at the scrap yard, wrenches on his motorcycle, and walks the banks of the Los Angeles River. A porch cookout evolves into a proper party, and he goes for a night ride — before settling back into the front seat of the red car for some shut-eye.
The new release follows SHOOP’s November EP never better a vibrant and low-key vulnerable collision of alt-pop, rock, R&B, and sharp songwriting that launched a rapid-fire run of singles introducing the multi-hyphenate’s boundary-pushing style. He first arrived with “CAPRIS,” a sun-soaked debut that distilled tangled emotions into breezy hooks. He then doubled down with the manically paced “YOUR PLACE” and the jangly, ’90s-checking “honey” — not to mention “blessing in disguise!” and “little piece.” SHOOP took Mundane Magazine inside the EP and his creative process in a revealing interview.
SHOOP made his artist debut after years of behind-the-scenes songwriting and production, working with the likes of Role Model, Dijon, Syd, August Ponthier, Maude Latour, and more. He also played drums and produced with Junior Varsity and lends his talents to others to this day. His recent credits include Princess Nokia, Prateek Kuhad, and Momo Boyd, but SHOOP’s solo work cements what longtime collaborators and early fans already knew: he’s building something wildly original and slyly potent.
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