Video Premiere: Commander Salamander—”Scooter”

Posted: by The Editor

“Scooter” is the last track off of Commander Salamander’s Off The Goop, out 6/24 on Chatterbot Records. The progression of this band is something that has astounded me over the past year-and-a-half. Upon meeting them in December of 2017, Claudio Benedi, Nando Moyano, and Liam Crone were hot off their “Gross October” release, blasting to the front page of r/emo and being invested in as the new stock of this wave of emo. “Sparkle-Punk” is what they called it. Hate it or love it, it was clear this new wave of dirty, twinkly, yelling e-word was what the community had been craving. Sadly, the band members themselves remained busy throughout high school and didn’t have a second release until Summer of 2018. Now, with their last member officially graduated, the “Comma Salad” boys are at it again, with another sparkly release. 

On their split with Origami Angel, I said that Commander Salamander were the antithesis to organization and reminded me of The Office’s parkour episode, where Point A is delusion and Point B is the hospital. The same remains true here, while they have definitely become more cohesive and talented writers, their original spontaneity and wacky charisma still shine through. The video for “Scooter,” which we’re premiering below, opens up with a practice session, business as usual for a DIY kid. However, it quickly falls apart as Crone disappears to satisfy his addiction. Eating pictures of Chris Teti from The World Is A Beautiful Place. Yes you read that right. A few summers ago Benedi  said he was going to do it, on Twitter. Then in May, Crone tweeted that if they reached one thousand followers on twitter before 6/24, they would. Naturally, TWIABP was tagged, and Chris Teti himself signed off on the idea.

“Scooter” is a fantastic track. Something Commander Salamander have always done well is taking nostalgia and using it to evoke the feeling of getting older. Whether it be through samples or lyrical references, they have a knack for reminding you of the things you may have forgotten from your childhood or teenage years. In this case, it is the Razor Scooter I personally wanted when I was 11, even though I still can’t manage to ride a bike. “Put all my trust in some cheap steel / Just to look dope on some red wheels.”

Benedi reminisces on the feeling we all had as children, where looking as cool as hell outweighed everything. Claudio then follows up with “I never knew how hard I could fall down.” Another feeling of childhood wonder, the invincibility we felt as kids before we knew what could hurt us and what pain even really felt like. These simple yet meaningful lyrics, when combined with the pure shrederry of Commander Salamander, are what make a good song, great.

Watch it here:


Catch Commander Salamander at their EP release show with Knope, Guitar Fight From Fooly Cooly, University Parking Space, and Mikau. FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/267374387503375/?ti=icl

Jordi Perbtani | @2ptconversionfl


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