Castle Rat Scurry Through Strange, Doomy Realms On “Fresh Fur” (Video Premiere)

Published: March 13, 2024

NYC-based fantasy doom collective Castle Rat are here to reveal the next track from their upcoming debut Into The Realm in the form of “Fresh Fur.” If you are a big fan of heavy, riffing doom with a penchant for costumed debauchery, you will find yourself right at home here. Rhythm guitarist/vocalist Riley Pinkerton is at the forefront here as she takes her title of the Rat Queen very seriously. The video amply displays the other various characters from the band, including The Count and Rat Reaperess, to name a few. 

The Rat Queen had a few things to say about the song and music video:

’Fresh Fur’ is a rebirth. It is the ability to unearth the strength to rise above those seeking any opportunity to cut you down, control you, or bury you. It is becoming so self-assured and secure within yourself that the sheer magnitude of your own existence can ward off anyone’s attempt to take you down—without the need to brandish any weapon of your own.

This is definitely our most DIY video to date. The music video was accomplished by commandeering the apartment of our friend and tour manager, Olivia. We nailed a bright-blue dollar store bedsheet to her living room wall and borrowed a tiny treadmill for walking in place in front of our makeshift green screen. We had our manager, Marty, crouched on the floor blasting me and Franco with a hair dryer through every take for that quintessential, glamorous, hair-in-the-breeze effect. There was also a lot of Johnson’s baby oil involved… 

We shot the whole thing on my iPhone, which is also what I used to edit the entire video, as I do not own a computer. I chose background imagery to elicit a sense of movement through a portal of time and space with glimpses of alternate realities and elements along the journey into another realm. There are also visual representations of each line of lyrics featured during each verse. 

I came down with the flu within an hour after shooting and harnessed all my fever-dream energy to greatly inform the imagery throughout the editing process while sick in bed across the next three days. Fortunately, no one else got sick during filming because Marty was continuously blasting my own germs back into my face using the hair dryer. All in all, this mission was a complete success from start to finish.

All together it makes for a perfect encapsulation of the band’s music and aesthetic, one that shouldn’t be missed. Make sure to check out the new record, Into The Realm, out April 12 on King Volume Records.

Rock / Metal / Alternative
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