Stuck in a Loop

Los Angeles alternative rock band Trash Day shares the video to their single, “Vacation”. The band opens up about the highs and lows of creating a DIY music video, drinking tequila to stay warm, and breaking out of the cycle of routine.

Los Angeles, USA

You are sharing the music video for your single, "Vacation". What is the song about? How does the video represent the song?

"Vacation" is about feeling stuck in a loop: waking up, going to work, coming home, sleeping, and doing it all over again the next day. The song explores the hope of breaking out of that cycle, escaping the proverbial machine, and taking a "Vacation" around the world.

The video takes a slightly different approach to those same ideas. It follows someone who's become consumed by work because of the society he lives in. It's not until he's forced out of his routine—or the "machine"—that he ends up going on vacation, and even then, it's not really by choice. The video is ultimately a commentary on the same themes as the song: feeling like a cog in the machine that's constantly pushing us forward while draining our desire to live an adventurous life outside the boundaries we've been given.

Why did you decide to create a video for this song in particular?

When we started planning the release for "Vacation," it immediately felt like a song that had a strong visual identity. Once we'd shot the album cover, we started thinking about how we could build out the world around the song, and that's really where the idea for the video began.

How did you come up with the concept?

The concept was a collaboration between the band, director Nick Baum, lead singer Ethan Zell, and our close friend Claudia Caton, AKA Clawdia. Claudia came up with the initial visual concept, and then Nick and Ethan worked together to refine it into a story, building out a beat sheet for the characters to follow. From there, everything gradually came together into the final narrative.

What was the filming process like?

Filming was equal parts incredibly fun and incredibly challenging. We shot the entire video over the course of three nights on the streets of Playa del Rey in the middle of winter, which was definitely a questionable decision in hindsight. That said, it ended up being an incredibly collaborative experience, especially once director of photography Thomas Rubino and assistant director Jonda Carallo came on board. Watching the vision slowly come to life was really rewarding. It pushed all of us creatively, and we learned a lot throughout the process.

What were some fun moments and challenges you encountered while making the video?

One of the biggest ideas we had was that Claudia's character would be covered in blood for most of the video, so figuring out how to pull that off took a lot of planning. We ended up making our own fake blood using corn syrup, vegetable glycerin, and food coloring—which turned out to be a terrible idea because once it dried, it became incredibly sticky. Poor Claudia spent most of the night covered in it. Since we were filming near the ocean at around 11 p.m. in the middle of winter, we also found ourselves taking shots of tequila as a cast just to stay warm. Looking back, a lot of the challenges ended up becoming our favorite memories from the shoot.

What advice would you give to other bands when making a DIY music video?

Our biggest piece of advice is to have as much fun with it as you can. A music video is an opportunity to add another creative layer to your music and expand the world around a song. Even when you're doing it DIY, it's still a pretty expensive undertaking, so make sure you're creating something that genuinely represents both the song and the vision you have for it. And lastly, find a director who's excited to help bring that vision to life. Nick was that person for us, and having someone equally invested made all the difference

What's next for TRASH DAY?

We've got a couple more singles on the way, followed by a compilation album featuring the music we've been releasing over the last year or so. We're also heading out on a fall tour up the California coast, with stops in Ventura, SLO, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco. At the same time, we're beginning work on our next album, which we're really excited about. We hope everyone's been enjoying what we've been putting out so far, and we're excited to keep sharing what's next.