Sand was formed back in 2012 by Dylan Ryan, after he sat back to write a handful of songs between his touring with Cursive and Rainbow Arabia.
To fill out the group, Ryan recruited bassist Devin Hoff (Julia Holter, Cibo Matto) and Tim Young (Reggie Watts’ Late Late Show band). What resulted is a heavily psychedelic power trio with nods to what the gang calls ‘proto-metal’. Already with 2 releases out via Cuneiform Records, and a 3rd on its way on a different label this year, “Haggard Hawk” brought in director Joe Presser, who has an interesting creative vision.
“The song has a bouncy sort of feel with odd time signatures, so I made all the cameras as close to hand-held as I could and angled them to parallel that rhythmic angularity.
Cel-shaded in highly contrasted 3-D animation, and referencing 70s B-movie tones, warriors swing skip-its atop four-horned, overgrown wildebeests like something out of the ‘No Fear’ folders in your five-star binder.
A shaman shakes a Polaroid and a Stretch-Armstrong/Barbie effigy in preparation for a ritual reminiscent of a vintage Nickelodeon sliming.”
After the first watch, it is fair to say Presser brought his vision to life.
This March, Sand is touring with Minus The Bear.
