Andy Shauf’s album Norm will drop on February 10 and be supported by a North American tour. “The character of Norm is introduced in a really nice way,” Shauf said in a statement when announcing the album in November. “But the closer you pay attention to the record, the more you’re going to realize that it’s sinister.” So far, Shauf has released singles “Wasted On You,” “Catch Your Eye,” and now, “Telephone.”
“Telephone” feels more sentimental than sinister, though it does hinge upon the sneakily sinister fact that humans are more addicted to phones than ever. Shauf focuses on the unique dopamine hit when someone you love calls. “I would live on the telephone if I was listening to you talk about your day,” he softly sings in the slow-burning song. “I nod my head count the days gone by since I held onto your words.”
The accompanying video was animated by Chad VanGaalen and stars the same yellow cartoon bird as the “Catch Your Eye” video.
“I love Chad’s animation style so much,” Shauf said in a statement, per JamBase. “He takes normal things and makes them odd, but also makes odd things seem totally normal. We asked him to take us into the weird world of Norm and a few months later we received an email with a link to this video, and it was everything that we hoped for and much more.”
Watch the “Telephone” video above.
Norm due out on 02/10/2023 via ANTI-. Pre-order it here.