Nude Beach's Kid-Crafted Video Will Make You Smile

Some bands have a few songs so immediately fun they can change the air in the room. Nude Beach must have at least 20 of ‘em -- each built to win over anyone in the crowd, no matter their tastes. Looking for scruffy punk bangers or spirit-lifting jangling melodies? Hoping for a few triumphantly ripping glam rock solos? What about some good old Heartland AM radio pop or souped-up muscle car rockers made for open-window drives? On its sprawling and satisfying 18-song double album, 77, the Brooklyn trio’s members -- singer and guitarist Chuck Betz, bassist Jimmy Shelton, and drummer Ryan Naideau -- have got you more than covered.

From that first shuffling drum fill that opens Nude Beach’s latest single, “For You,” that feel-good vibe is especially tangible -- and even more so, when you see that song's smile-inducing new music video.

If this delightful aesthetic looks at all handmade, it actually is: The video was created top-to-bottom by a bunch of six-to-11-year-olds at the Children’s Museum of the Arts’ summer camp -- where Naideau used to work. The kids in the video and animation class were looking to do a music video project, so their teacher reached out in hopes of collaborating with an actual band. With a little help from a few counselors, everything from the colorful drawings and fantastic animations to the stage direction and cinematography and editing was done by these remarkably talented kids. It’s a dazzling performance video brimming with tiny oddities and cute details that fits perfectly with Nude Beach’s nearly three-minute song.

Throughout “For You,” and 77, in general, Nude Beach wears its influences proudly, like a sleeve of tats running up their arms. There are some familiar touchstones that’ll remind you of the Stones, Tom Petty and Springteen; or Big Star, Elvis Costello, and The Replacements; or contemporaries like Wilco, The Men and Japandroids. Yet as Betz chants the sweet line, “Everything I do, I do for you,” it’s clear Nude Beach’s way with a hook and a power chord -- not to mention its burgeoning grandiosity -- has transformed this scrappy yet hardworking group into one of the most promising guitar bands this year.

Nude Beach's new album, 77, is out Oct. 21 via Don Giovanni, but you can stream the entire thing over at Pitchfork now. Also, check out the band's tour dates below:

• 10/20 New York, NY @ Other Music
• 10/24: Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool (CMJ Distiller Showcase)
• 10/26: Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
• 10/27: Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
• 10/28: Minneapolis, MN @ Hexagon
• 10/29: Milwaukee, WI @ Ground Zero House
• 10/30: Cincinnati, OH @ the Drinkery
• 10/31: Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
• 11/1: Chattanooga, TN @ JJ's Bohemia
• 11/2: Athens, GA @ Hi-Lo Lounge
• 11/3: Raleigh, NC @ Nice Price Books + Records
• 11/4: Washington, DC @ Black Cat
• 11/5: New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
• 11/6: Allston, MA @ O'Brien's Pub
• 11/22: Toronto, ON @ Not Dead Yet Fest