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Nov 02, 2020 By Caleb Campbell Air Traffic Controller

Much like countless other bands, the COVID-19 pandemic threw a major wrench in the plans of Massachusetts indie pop band Air Traffic Controller. With the group separated by the pandemic, they were not able to record together to finish their upcoming fifth album. Fortunately, they went to creative lengths to record their newest single “Sometimes.” While guitarist Adrian Aiello added the finishing touches, frontman Dave Munro turned his garage into a makeshift vocal booth with bandmate Steve Scott in the driveway on a laptop. Since social distancing continues to be a priority, the band also had to think outside of the box for the video for “Sometimes,” which debuts here with Under The Radar.

The bouncing pop rock of the single makes full use of the buoyant melody and plinking synth lines. It is a lively and eminently catchy marriage of the band’s organic singer/songwriter influences and a steady electro pop pulse. Munro’s heartfelt vocals are earnest and confessional, as he reflects on the missed chances for reconciliation, singing, “I need to make it right but this is not a good time.” Inspired by the end of a real relationship, Munro says the song was his way of removing the cap on his bottled emotions surrounding the breakup.

For the video, the band takes inspiration from the classic hand-held text format pioneered with Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” and used dozens of times since, but gives it a neon makeover befitting the song. The bicoastal effort was completed with director Jesse Dacri shooting guitarist Adrian Aiello on the west coast and Aviv Marotz filming the rest of the band at Salem Willows in Massachusetts.

Dave Munro says of the video, “Amidst the pandemic, which cut short our recording sessions and separated us all for months, one thing we wanted to do in this “Sometimes” video was be together, in some form. The simple neon sign concept was inspired by the cover art for the single. The artist, Kat Dawson, decided the word SOMETIMES should be lit up in neon across a backyard at night, matching the glowing red taillights in the driveway. We all immediately loved the visual and felt it was something we could build on. Our manager suggested, for the video, we should just hold neon signs that change with the lyrics. Easier said than done! It was a tricky and tedious job, but director Jesse Dacri [roommate of guitarist Adrian Aiello], who normally works with bigger artists like Demi Lovato and The Jonas Brothers, pulled it off, remotely, from Los Angeles. It was a treat to work with someone with such an eye for ‘pop’...Since the video shoot, we have been busy planning our return to the studio via socially distant/remote sessions to finish up the album.” Check out the video below.