Five Fun Facts with Winnetka Bowling League
You've got another thing to be thankful for this year, and that's Winnetka Bowling League's spankin' new music video for "Congratulations" - filmed and directed in Los Angeles by Caitlin Gerard. The indie-rock band's lead singer, songwriter, and producer Matthew Koma described the shoot, "We made a video that's about freeing yourself from the pressures of online perception, and we got to play the song 23 times while a machine shot foam at us".
Foam parties aside, the "Congratulations" video is really a love letter to oneself, appreciating your strengths, talents, and blessings and not worrying about what others think on social media and beyond. The clever video features its very own dizzying scroll through a feed of photos and videos and posts landing on Winnetka Bowling League. A fresh-faced beauty called TACOMA.QUEEN daydreams in a bubble bath about all her "likes", shows off her newest makeup, and asks "fans" which pink dress to wear. Following her makeup tutorial, she's surrounded by a birthday cake and a room full of gifts, but as she opens each present, she realizes each is an empty box. She's left with all her empty feelings and thoughts and loneliness until she swaps the screen life for real life, bopping around to Winnetka Bowling League's infectious song. Congratulations, you have made it to the next level called life.
ICYMI: Read our Q&A with the band HERE.
Matthew Koma kept the party going with IndieWavves for some truly witty Five Fun Facts with Winnetka Bowling League:
Sam (keyboard player) is pursuing Alicia Silverstone on a dating app, which is fun 'cause there's like a 20 year age gap.
We openly stalk Stephan Jenkins, the lead singer of Third Eye Blind. It's a love/hate thing.
With quarantine and the lack of touring and rehearsals, the band is feeling it. I think just the normal chemicals that happen playing in the room with people are not happening. And you go to a lot less Starbucks when you start your drives.
If Matthew was not a musician and songwriter... I'd probably be bowling. I'd get my game really fucking good and go pro. I'm still not as good as my teammates, but I'm not as terrible as when I started.
Most people pronounce Winnetka completely wrong, like Wakanda or Winnetika. A lot of people have trouble pronouncing it. Literally, someone called us Waka Waka Bowling League.
- Matthew Koma (Winnetka Bowling League)
Written by Michael Menachem
Photo by Paige Sara