Rock Outfit Dimestore Dolls Share Animated Video “Down To The Mechanics”

Photo: Dimestore Dolls by Mollie Swartz

In advance of the July 22 release of their debut album WOOLY MAMAS, Lancaster, PA-based eclectic rock outfit DIMESTORE DOLLS have today (July 20) shared an imaginative music video for the album’s second single, “Down To Mechanics,” an infectious vocal harmony-drenched mix of rock, pop and alternative. The clip “gives viewers an animated look at the yearning for love, looking for that one true match and the inevitable heartbreak that comes with being in love with something that isn’t real or genuinely there,” shares MXDWN in their premiere yesterday. It was animated by the Los Angeles animation production and motion design studio Zookeeper (NBC’s “The Good Place,” “The Wall”). Watch it streaming below.

“Down To Mechanics” is a stark, hard-hitting rock song written from a bottomed-out perspective. It’s brief, tight structure gives vocalist Kelly Buchanan all the space she needs to vent and ruminate on her life. The track uses a tough, deadpan approach that adds artistic gravitas to its vibe and increases its emotional intensity. Consider it music for the thinking rocker seeking truth in all its forms. It also demonstrates that crunching guitars and intelligent vocals are as valid as ever, maybe even more so. Unique and brilliant, this one.

In 2008, DIMESTORE DOLLS founding member, singer-songwriter-musician KELLY BUCHANAN was preparing to release a new solo album following a build-up of success with previous releases whose music received airplay on various TV shows on MTV, The CW and A&E and saw her on a national tour with Mike Doughty. And then tragedy struck–during an impromptu game of street hockey she was hit in the head and suffered a traumatic brain injury. It was so severe that she had to re-learn how to walk, had difficulty with speech and required her to rebuild all of her other skills such as singing and playing music.

“Down to Mechanics” was one of the first songs she wrote post-brain injury. “It was in 2012, about the time I was learning to sing again and also trying my fingers on both the guitar and the piano,” recalls BUCHANAN. “I recorded it on an m-box with a bunch of vocal harmonies and a minimal acoustic guitar line. I was able to sing in head-voice first, and I didn’t have much control of my voice–so that demo was recorded as a wobbly mostly vocal piece.”

Watch “Down To Mechanics”

Adding to the song’s personal flair, its lyrical inspiration was drawn from the thoughts BUCHANAN had while being bed-ridden during her recovery. “When you are bed-ridden, you have plenty of time to rehash and psycho-analyze every past relationship, romantic or otherwise. There is lots of time to just think and think and think some more about victories and about regrets too. From past relationships to the existence of God to the reality of mortality, including the loss of my father, to what I would do with my life if I ever was lucky enough to go at it full throttle again. ‘Down to Mechanics’ was born of these thoughts.”

DIMESTORE DOLLS originated as an all-female lineup for a performance at a holiday party. The band expanded to include both male and female members and the album’s title, WOOLY MAMAS, was inspired by the fact they all wore holiday-themed sweaters for their first performance. The group shared its first single, “You Are The Fix,” which was co-written by the late Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne and also features the band’s surviving members.

WOOLY MAMAS Track Listing:
1. Down To Mechanics
2. Extraordinary Goodbye
3. You Are The Fix (w/Fountains of Wayne)
4. Graffiti On My Heart
5. Everybody Grab Your Weapons
6. Crazy’s Got It’s Perks
7. Lay Down The Law
8. The River Obeys
9. Kick Me Harder
10. Recycle My Heart
11. Patty Says No
12. The Crazy Rope
13. Roll With You
14. Not My Heart