First Watch: YACHT, 'I Thought The Future Would Be Cooler' | WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source

First Watch: YACHT, 'I Thought The Future Would Be Cooler' | WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source


Play all audios:

Loading...

First Watch: YACHT, 'I Thought The Future Would Be Cooler' By Robin Hilton Published October 21, 2015 at 10:09 AM EDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email


Disappointment is part of America's DNA. It is as though its citizens are born with the desire for something better, fueling much of the country's entrepreneurial and creative output; but


even if everyone had personal jet-packs by now, they'd still be left unsatisfied. And much of what's produced to fill the void is just ridiculous.


For Claire Evans and Jona Bechtolt of the band YACHT, the endless, sad parade of social media apps, wearable technology and other distraction-enticing creations pawned off as advancements,


are ripe for a takedown. In the group's new video, for the song "I Thought The Future Would Be Cooler," Evans wears a dog collar attached to a leash, owned by an unseen hand. "Crowdsource


cults," she sings. "All lit up on LED / Next thing you know, you're sipping on a battery."


"This is a science fiction video that uses only existing technologies," Bechtolt and Evans tell us via email. "VR, drones, self-balancing scooters ("hoverboards"), telepresence robots,


selfie sticks, Soylent and vape pens. All of these things have variably been presented as symbols of our futuristic world, but individually, up close, they just feel straight-up comical."


The video was conceived and directed by filmmaker . "I Thought The Future Would Be Cooler" is the title track from YACHT's latest album, out now on .


Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.