Monday 3/29: Bachelor—"Stay In The Car"
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song from Bachelor, the duo of Jay Som and Palehound’s Ellen Kempner.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him), Eric Bennett (they/them), Michael Brooks (he/him) and Miranda Reinert (she/her). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. On Substack, we’re also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc. Three days of the week are free but you can get access to all five weekly posts by subscribing for $5/month via Substack or $2/month via our Patreon.
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song from Bachelor, the duo of Jay Som and Palehound’s Ellen Kempner.
Bachelor—"Stay In The Car"
Michael Brooks:
As somebody who’s a huge fan of both Jay Som and Palehound, it’s no surprise that I’m all in on this upcoming Bachelor record. “Anything at All,” the first track that the duo shared back in February, seemed to have a much heavier Jay Som influence in it than their latest single, “Stay in the Car,” which is 100 percent Palehound through and through. If the track’s second verse, where everything dies down and a sinister guitar riff kicks in, reminds you of off-kilter 90’s alt-rock like The Pixies or The Breeders, then you would be absolutely correct because they told NME that’s what they were going for. The song also has a really trippy music video that looks like it was a blast to make, confirming my suspicions that both artists would be incredibly fun to hang out with. If the rest of this record is as good as these two singles I’m sure it’s one that I’ll be spending a lot of time with this year.
Eric Bennett:
I tried, for longer than I care to admit, to find a specific tweet, one that first made a point I agree with, to no avail. I will use that as a preface when I say this: holy shit, these “Say it Ain’t So” vibes! Something about this melody and arrangement here does feel eerily like the moments when “Say it Ain’t So” begins to boil over. Despite Ellen Kempner’s vocals being more pronounced on this track, I don’t think it necessarily feels more like a Palehound song. Melina Duterete is a virtuosic guitar player, and her inventive work is all over this track, her influence is extremely felt. It remains to be seen if Bachelor’s full record will match the heat they bring to “Stay in the Car,” but if this is any indicator, it seems likely. I can’t see how these two great minds wouldn’t continue to bring out the best in each other.
Eli Enis:
I must say that Ellen Kempner and Jay Som were never a superduo I could’ve imagined coming to fruition. It’s not that they’re an unlikely pairing—same label, similar age, both make dynamic indie rock with a whispery vocal delivery—but it just wasn’t something that I was ever expecting. I’m glad they made it happen, though, because I was really impressed by both of these singles. On their last respective solo albums, both artists journeyed farther into dreamy (Jay Som) and folky (Palehound) territory, so it’s refreshing to hear them kick up the dirt together in a banger like “Stay In The Car”. I think their voices complement each other very nicely and there’s an obvious chemistry that feels very organic. I’m onboard with Bachelor.