Indie rock duo Man On Man released the double A-side single “Take It From Me” and “Hush,” which features guitar playing from J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. Continuing the momentum lead single “Showgirls”, the two tracks are the final advanced previews of the duo’s sophomore LP Provincetown, which will be released on June 16 through Polyvinyl Records.
“Take It From Me” is accompanied by a video directed by Brendan McGowan that interrogates the suppression of radical queer joy in modern society. Opening with an ominous guitar and synth riff, the video features a popper-sniffing Roddy Bottum paying tribute to a past era of queer acceptance: “Poppers, disco/1980’s San Francisco/Steve Lady, Bambi/At the Crystal Pistol/I liked it better before you took it from me”.
In the press release Man on Man discuss the process of creating the music video for “Take It From Me.”
“In our new video we’re exploring the ways in which the culture and fervor of our Queer community is ‘taken from us’ and how we stand up to the affront in a sort of Lynchian/Kenneth Anger short film directed by us and our collaborator, Brendan McGowan. We’ve enlisted family and friends once again to share the message of rebellion and queer liberation.”
“Hush” is a brooding, distortion-drenched trek through waves of guitar playing from Mascis, who plugged his vintage Gretsch axe directly into the soundboard to deliver the track’s potent lead lines and mesmerizing drone.
In the following statement the duo discuss the meaning behind “Hush.”
“Provincetown, the town where we recorded our new record has a way of providing a landscape that spurns friendship and growth and creative fertility. We’d been friends with J Mascis for a while but it wasn’t until the summer of 2022 that we were able to lean into our relationship with him and his family and take things to a new creative plateau. This epic rock bomb was begging for the wizardry that only J could provide and we feel so fortunate to have him onboard.”
Together both tracks represent all that makes Provincetown such an electrifying listen because pure rock ‘n roll is paired with lyrics that unapologetically celebrate modern queer love.
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