Indie rock band The Antlers today shared a brand new video and single called “It Is What It Is.” The song’s corresponding video comes from the dynamic directing duo of Derrick Belcham and Emily Terndrup and features world-renowned contemporary dancers Bobbi-Jene Smith and Or Schraiber.
The song sees the Brooklyn-based rockers at their lounge pop best as singer/songwriter Peter Silberman’s soft, melodic croon brushes over the group’s signature instrumentation of trumpet, bass, drums and keys. The video matches the song’s pleasant somberness as Smith and Schraiber perform an ornate dance route inside their home. This latest clip is a continuation of the story begun in the band’s recently released video for single “Wheels Roll Home,” which marked band’s first new music since their 2014 album Familiars. That track was praised by Stereogum as “A gentle, acoustic meditation” and hailed by Brooklyn Vegan as a “Warm, lovely song.”
Discussing the new track, Silberman says the song, at its core, is about reflection. “‘It Is What It Is’ is a song about hindsight,” said Silberman. “It considers what might have changed had you handled things differently back then, and the reluctant acceptance that it’s too late for all that now. It’s the inevitability of changing seasons, transitions that feel like loss in the moment, but come to represent growth over time.”
Silberman followed the release of Familiars with a solo album in 2017 called Impermanence, which he recorded after starting to recover from a hearing impairment. Last year, The Antlers celebrated the 10 year anniversary of their breakthrough full-length studio LP Hospice (2009) by releasing a vinyl-only re-issue of the record and embarking on a sold out acoustic tour, which saw them playing the album in its entirety. The group currently consists of Silberman handling vocals, guitar, harmonica, harp, accordion and keyboards while Michael Lerner tackles drums and percussion.
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