Cockles, the brainchild of Shortstraw frontman Alastair Thomas, has released the music video for his first single called ‘Joshin’ Around’.

Zesty and relatable with a smidge of quirk, Cockles makes happy music for sad people. ‘Joshin’ Around’ sums up the vibe of this new solo endeavour perfectly: It’s jangly enough to get you dancing, whilst lyrically thought provoking. With no showing off in the music at all and a super simple melody, Cockles wants listeners to focus on the songs themselves. No flashy guitar solos or drum fills; just sombre lyrics masked by major chords.

“Anyone who feels like they might not have achieved as much as society (or their Facebook feeds) may suggest they should have, would be able to identify with this song.”

was written in about 10 minutes before recording a demo of it. With a bunch of sadder songs already written, Cockles decided he needed something more upbeat. After suffering from a mild case of insomnia naturally combined with an existential crisis the night before, the song kinda wrote itself and a new direction for the project was born.

“The song is basically about getting older and the self doubt that comes with it. Everyone else is seemingly doing great things while I’m stuck in a boring job and dreaming of being a singer. Then, even after acting on it, I’m still just a guy who wakes up to wee and then can’t get back to sleep.”

The video for the track was conceptualised by Dan McCauley and Jesse Coetsee from Dolph (also the team behind Josh Kempen’s  ‘Leave Me If You Can’ music video). With their delightfully quirky and visual approach to videos, their attitude and style was a perfect fit for Cockles.

Mainly shot over the course of one night by Rick Joaquim, the team made their warped vision come to life: The video features various versions of Cockles wearing a mask of his own face doing a bunch of creepy stuff, which will undoubtedly leave the viewer feeling ever so slightly uncomfortable.

Cockles also performed his debut live show over the weekend, opening for Springbok Nude Girls

Besides Alastair Thomas as frontman, the Cockles band also includes Oliver Nathan (original Shortstraw drummer), Jacques du Plessis (who recorded 3 Shortstraw albums and played in Wrestlerish and Dance You’re On Fire), and Chris van der Linde (from Young Hands). Cockles is currently working on his debut album, set for release later this year.

Check out the music video for ‘Joshin’ Around’ below:

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