video premiere: "Take Me to Orlando" - Thelma
words: Gordon Phillips
If you’re reading this, you’re probably hunched over a screen. Odds are also good that you’re in dire need of a vacation. Thelma, Natasha Jacobs’ Brooklyn-based pop outfit may have your fix with their new music video for “Take Me to Orlando.”
The opening sequence depicts a Disney-fixated main character (portrayed by Jacobs) coming to an all-too-relatable conclusion—their dream vacation might be financially out of reach. Undeterred, the protagonist dons Mickey Mouse ears and empties the contents of their piggybank onto a Grand Central Station countertop, setting off for a day trip to Westchester’s Rye Playland. Not quite Disney World, but it’ll have to do.
After a day of carnival rides, a dustup at the “Zombie Castle” and what appears to be an only mildly satisfying serving of cotton candy, the video’s forlorn star meets an extraterrestrial visitor, who also happens to be wearing Mickey Mouse ears. The two exchange greetings and video director Stephanie Gould warps them both to a beach—perhaps a Florida beach. The intergalactic travelers walk into the surf without hesitation, disappearing forever.
When a trip to Disney World isn’t quite in the cards, “Take Me To Orlando” is about making your own vacation, where you are and using what you have. Even in the dead of winter.
“Take Me to Orlando” is the lead single from Thelma’s upcoming record, The Only Thing, which comes out on February 22, 2019. You can preorder it here.
Tour Dates:
2/21: Dew Drop Inn, Washington D.C.
2/22: Everybody Hits, Philadelphia, Pa*
2/23: Secret Project Robot, Brooklyn*
3/1: The Chateau, Albany
3/2: The Warehouse, Middletown, CT
*with Mutual Benefit