Transviolet’s new video shows how the Hamptons life can go wrong
Though ¾ of synth-rock band Transviolet is from NYC, the band was formed in Los Angeles. And though lead singer and Malibu Barbie-look-alike, Sarah McTaggart isn’t originally from the West Coast, she seems to be torn between which coast is actually the best coast…
Their newest tune, “The Hamptons,” is about one of the hottest east coast summer vacationing spots. However, instead of singing of wind blowing through your salty beach hair and dreamy trysts in the sand as in Miley’s west-coast-themed single “Malibu,” Transviolet’s tune tells of a more truthful tale of the type of people who hang in these places.
Just like any proper east coast/west coast battle, “The Hamptons” has a little bit of a dark side, as it doesn’t showcase the glamorous vibes that this hotspot is normally associated with.
Ironically, Sarah has never spent a summer in the Hamptons, but after bandmate Jon Garcia jokingly said, “Hamptons: never heard of it” — that’s what sparked the idea for the song, she says.
“[The idea was to] make it about the kind of conversation I’ve had too many times; where someone is trying to impress you by telling you about the all the important people they know, and the houses they own, and the expensive cars sitting in their driveway,” Sarah says. “It’s about those kinds of conversations where you catch yourself zoning out and imagining your life with this vapid person, and, hypothetically, what gun you would buy to put yourself out of your misery.”
The video shows some typical lonely rich ass people getting straight up weird and petting their faux taxidermy animals. But keep watching because it ends in a pretty epic — yet strangely classy — food fight rich folk meltdown.
While the song is dark and has an ironic story, the music itself is vibey and dancey, and will work great for a summer tune no matter which coast is your fave. Check the vid out here, and then peep our Q&A with Sarah, and see which coast actually IS the best coast (at least according to her).
Miley’s “Malibu” seems to have more of a dreamy love story to it’s lyrics — whereas “Hamptons” seems to have some dark parts. What inspired the lyrics and are they based on anything that may have occurred IRL?
We’d been writing for nearly three months, and truthfully, were all pretty fed up. That particular day we were working with a producer named Sam Hollander and his engineer Grant Michaels. We all hit it off right away. Sam had this idea of a song titled “The Hamptons,” and I said, “I’m all out of ideas so let’s go for it.” I love a challenge, and sometimes starting with a random title is really fun for me. The guys, Sam and Grant, got to work on the music, and I was staring at a blank sheet of paper wondering wtf I was gonna write about since I’d never been to The Hamptons. They all came over and asked how it was going, and I said “Listen, I’ve never been to the Hamptons, so I don’t think this is going to work.”
You guys seemed to have started a trend singing about darker times with “Girls Your Age” back in 2015 — do you think Hamptons follows a similar path in pointing out that not all things are glamorous in a glamorous place like the Hamptons?
I love contrasting glamorous backdrops with dark sentiments. [Our single] “LA Love” had a very similar theme as well. I guess it has a lot to do with what I’m surrounded by.
I write from personal experiences, so being in LA leads to a lot of stories about sad rich people trying to buy happiness. The world is full of people trying to fill a void with shiny things. “The Hamptons” video was a humorous way to poke fun at that. I really loved the idea of having these super blue-blooded, buttoned-up characters in this big, ridiculously opulent mansion just completely lose their shit.
You formed originally in Los Angeles — have you ever spent any time in the Hamptons?
Nope. Never heard of it.
What are three things that make the Hamptons cooler than Malibu? (or vice versa?)
You’re more likely to see one of us in Malibu, so that’s four things that make it wayyyyyy cooler.
If you were to plan a Transviolet house party, which coast would you pick to have it on, and what three items would you feature at this party?
Well, 3/4 of Transviolet is from NY, so I’m totally outnumbered, we would definitely end up there. At our house party, we would feature:
1 — A sloppy, choreographed dance number (like in a musical, someone would break into song, and we’d all join along and dance and it would be all the fun)
2 — A playlist of the following songs on repeat: Kevin Lyttle’s “Turn Me On”; R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly”; and Destiny’s Child’s “Say My [Motherfucking] Name.”
3 — A bedtime ghost story told by Jon.
If there could be a Hamptons vs. Malibu remix featuring Miley on your song — would you be into doing it? What do you think the song would sound like?
We love Miley, so sure! It would sound the way you feel after brushing hands with a handsome stranger who has a winning smile, and smells like young love.
Let’s play East Coast (Hamptons) vs. West Coast (Malibu) — which coast has the best beaches?
I’m from Grand Cayman, so they both lose. Grand Cayman has the best beaches by far.
If you had to choose: In and Out or Shake Shack?
In and Out, obviously.
Biggie or Tupac?
Biggie.
Coachella or Gov Ball?
Gov Ball
What’s next for you?
I’m gonna go for a swim.
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