The Giraffes Share Shock-Rock Video for “Million Year Old Song”

Brooklyn-based alt-rock incendiaries The Giraffes unleash their latest sonic bomb, “Million Year Old Song.” This explosive track, found on their self-released eighth album, Cigarette, is a raw and relentless exploration of American absurdity. Accompanied by a provocative in-yer-face video directed by Damien Paris, the four-piece takes us on a blistering adventure, exposing the dark side of the American dream.

Cigarette is a hypnotic hard-edged, psychedelic rock score for our current age of decay and disappointment, fear and fury, idiocy and hope. This loaded 7-track offering takes new risks with subject matter and composition while maintaining the intensity and dexterity fans know and love, each track pushing the boundaries of rock music, delivering a mind-bending experience that captures the chaos and confusion of our age.

Recorded and engineered by Andrew Totolos at Apesauce Studio, this was mixed by Grammy-nominated producer Francisco Botero (Matisyahu, Odesza) at the iconic Studio G Brooklyn and by James Dellatacoma (Bill Laswell, Herbie Hancock, TS Monk, John Zorn, Angelique Kidjo) at Bill Laswell’s famed Orange Music Sound Studio.

Since forming in 1996, The Giraffes have been crafting a hedonistic soundtrack that is loud, agile, dangerous, funny, sick, complex and satisfying. Known for their trademark menu of metal-tinged scuzz-rock, The Giraffes offer a tasteful mixture of heavy rock, punk, post-punk, surf and whatever else they find interesting.

With lead singer Aaron Lazar and guitar maestro Damien Paris as its core, drummer Andrew Totolos provides the locomotive rhythm section, with Hannah Moorhead anchoring the bass. This year marks the beginning of a new era for the band, with Moorhead also contributing backing vocals and songwriting. With the line-up no longer in flux, the focus is largely on songwriting.

“One of Damien’s most ‘badass’ style cartoon bad guy riffs deserved some extemporizing. The phrase ‘a million year old song in twenty year old lungs’ caused me to remember how I was at that age. The first verse is a picture of that time in my life – the feeling of invincibility along with my backward looking cultural tastes (obsessed with blues explosion and old soul and punk from the 70s). The smoke everywhere at all times. No phone culture. It was a world that kids today would not believe existed,” says Aaron Lazar.

“I wanted to not be a total old man stuck looking back at my youth so I imagined someone my kid’s age hitting 20 and what the world will look like for them for the second verse. This protagonist has the power of youth but in a much more dire world. I believe that the animating spirit of ‘rock n roll’ or whatever is that self-destructive imperative for fun at all costs. Interesting to think of what that will look like later on down the line. The song remains the same – just the world changes.”

Formed in 1996, The Giraffes’ debuted album Franksquilt arrived in 1998, eventually finding their definitive sound when joined by vocalist Aaron Lazar in 2000, followed by the release of their 2002 album Helping You Help Yourself. The band quickly gained a loyal following, captivating audiences with their intense performances and engaging stage presence.

The Giraffes experienced a prolific period from 2002 to 2010, releasing a string of critically acclaimed albums and EPs. After a brief hiatus following Lazar’s departure in 2011, the band made a triumphant return in 2014, reuniting with their original lineup and releasing their sixth studio album, Usury. The band, since been joined by bassist Hannah Moorhead (Netherlands, Twenty Two’s) and the release of their album Flower of the Cosmos and several remixes by the likes of Swervedriver’s Adam Franklin and notable hip-hop record producer Blockhead. This resurgence has solidified The Giraffes’ position as a dynamic and influential force in the music industry.

The Giraffes “Million Year Old Song” single artwork