Douglas Martin’s Bumble score is 752
In between the VHS blur and the corners of a television set, in between the tape-warped synths and guitars of Mild High Club’s “Undeniable,” there’s love (or at least a temporary facsimile) brewing. A denim-shirted lady orders a drink and gets serenaded by her mustachioed bartender (played by Mild High Club proprietor Alexander Britten) before eyeing a dude who looks like he asked for the Warped Tour Special at his local barbershop, an errant fly circling his head as his lips reach his straw after multiple attempts. Couples laugh in the background and the next guy over at the bar is on his cell phone. You can tell it’s one of those divey Tinder meetup spots even before the camera catches him swiping left.
The ascendant melodies and aforementioned tape warp is instantly reminiscent of weirdo-pop impresarios Ariel Pink and R. Stevie Moore (which won’t surprise you when you find out Britten’s been recording with them), matching an irresistible dance tune with the slenderest of means; the drums don’t sound like drums, but the arpeggio in the bridge reveals serious chops. “Undeniable” is exactly the type of song you’d be shamelessly grooving out to while pleasant company wonders if your speakers are broken.
As for the story of the video, all’s well that ends well: The girl who dresses kinda like me leaves with the dude with the unfortunate haircut, and the guy in the ruffled shirt and cruise ship bartender vest leaves with the glowing orb of his dreams, and the barkeep’s face melts off in the closing freeze frame. If all Tinder dates were capped with such a happy ending, the world would be a much more hospitable place.
