Among Clinton St. John’s musical impetus is the gratification that comes from the often-accidental interconnectedness of the themes about which he chooses to write. Frustration, politics, cults, kidnappings, mystery, heartbreak, and more. Very often, however, the most common, uniting thread that loops its way through the dark-folk stylings of his project Florida BC is one word: unsolvable.
“A longstanding tradition for why I became a songwriter is the catharsis that comes from taking this thing, whatever it is, that you don’t have a solution for, and trying to articulate it in an abstract way. It’s just all kinds of different narratives intertwined,” he says.
Today Glide is excited to premiere the video for Florida BC’s new single “Thunder Jesus,” which finds the Calgary, Alberta-based band tackling a complex and difficult Canadian unsolved case: the missing and murdered indigenous women who have been disappearing in Canada – with virtually no government intervention or follow-up – since the early 1980’s. The song is partially inspired by Twin Peaks, which also features a missing girl. Backed by a grim, dirge-like soundtrack that feels equal parts gothic folk and heavy rock, the band deals in vivid imagery that is dark and mysterious. Haunting lyrics and vocals and an ominous folk sound bring to mind acts like Magnolia Electric Co. and Neil Young with a touch of post-punk.
Front man Clinton St. John explains the inspiration behind the song:
“‘Thunder Jesus’ is a song I wrote in early January 2019. I had just finished re-watching the first Twin Peaks series over the holidays. Also fresh on my mind was the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in Canada after having just been part of a collective artwork based on these missing women. Subsequently, this song is written from the perspective of a missing girl and that of her ghost.”
WATCH:
Photo credit: Sebastian Buzzalino
