On Our Radar: The Zolas deliver a smoky, boozy breakup letter to Vancouver in video for "Bombs Away"

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      Mondays are a little hazy, mostly because the drinking and smoking usually start at 11 a.m. on weekends, and then continues until the room starts spinning and the bed's going backwards at 70 mph.

      Still, that’s not going to stop us from delving into “Bombs Away”, the deliciously fuzz-bombed new single and video from the Zolas.

      On first viewing, the clip serves as a reminder that—who gives a shit what the surgeon general says—smoking looks pretty cool. Just ask anyone who’s seen James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, Nicolas Cage in Wild at Heart, and your grandfather before he ended up in the emphysema ward.

      Don’t listen to those idiots who blather on about how kissing a smoker is like licking an ashtray.

      Here’s a short list of people who not only have enjoyed a smoke or 20, but have looked hot doing it: Brad Pitt, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Michael Fassbender, Mila Kunis, Johnny Depp, Lana Del Rey, Chris Pine, Ben Affleck, Joaquin Phoenix, Zac Efron, Amber Heard, Kit Harrington, Justin Bieber, Dakota Johnson, and Ellie Goulding.

      Oh, and the Zolas’ crew. Admit it—you’d happily lick all of their ashtrays. Not to mention crack open a pack of Camel Crush menthols with them.

      If we were asked to break down “Bombs Away” in a sociology class, we’d start by positing that the song seems to be a wistful breakup letter to Vancouver. If you’ve been paying attention, the city’s real estate prices are driving everyone who’s not a trust-fund kid to sunnier climates. I.e. Montreal.

      Creatives—who even in Montreal tend to live on Top Ramen, Ritz Crackers, and toilet water—have been the hardest hit. That makes “Bombs Away” lines like “Everybody’s fading/Maybe we’ll be next” particularly poignant.

      (Making us think we’d get an A in Sociology, after sixteen viewings we discovered Zolas singer Zach Gray included the following in the press materials for “Bombs Away”: “This track goes out to everyone seeing their favourite spots and favourite people get priced out of the city and wondering if they might be next. If you’ve ever daydreamed about getting all your people together and starting fresh in a cheap town somewhere beautiful, this one’s for you.”)

      Spark up a Marlboro Light, Belmont Mild, or Virginia Slim, sit back and enjoy. You might want to also pour a drink, considering that the booze flows freely in “Bombs Away”.

      Who cares if those jackasses behind last-weekend’s The Lancet medical journal study have just terrorized the world with their argument that no amount of booze is good for you.

      Here’s a short list of folks who not only enjoy a drink or 20, but look hot doing so: Drake, Lebron James, Madonna, John Legend, Dua Lipa, Anna Kendrick, Lily James, and Jay-Z.

      If booze is good enough for them, it’s more than good enough for you.

       

       

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