Bachelor – ‘Stay in the Car’

Bachelor is made up of indie artists Melina Duterte, from Jay Som, and Ellen Kempner, of Palehound, and was formed by way of musical kinship. The pair blend their independent song-writing abilities and organic dynamics in order to showcase the their emotions and shine a spotlight on their creativity.

Although they first met back in 2017, in a Sacramento green room, it took until the following year for the pair to start making music together, but they certainly made up for lost time from there on in: they packed up all of Duterte’s recording equipment into two cars, and drove down to a rented Airbnb in Topanga, California. Locking themselves away with just their instruments, they kept busy with only cans of iced tea for company.

During those two weeks of recording, they also listened to Billie Eilish, Radiohead, and Brittany Howard, as well as spending their nights watching ‘The Mandalorian’. The result: ‘Doomin’ Sun’. Exploring heavy themes such as queerness, and climate change, the album is also filled with tears of laughter, in their songs which recount modern life, and tell many very relatable stories. In the hands of Duterte and Kempner, the word “Bachelor” has been reclaimed to illustrate the days they spent in a jubilant state of euphoria.

The bass-heavy rock track, ‘Stay In The Car’, is based on a true story, and takes its inspiration from Pixies, and the Breeders. Back in December of 2019, Kempner saw the most beautiful woman in a shopping centre carpark, who was yelling at the man in the car, asking him what he wanted from inside. She was entranced by her red clothing, and masses of jewellery, and at that point, she said, she “wanted to be a part of her life, her best friend, her driver, whatever she wanted me to be.” The music video is filled with vivid imagery and was directed by Haoyan of America, where the use of 80s/90s/00s props and toys, CGI, and car-themed items blur the lines between animation and nonfiction, modern and vintage, and eccentric and conventional. The stunning woman in the red dress and jewellery might be long gone, but her impact continues in the music of Bachelor, and because of her, Duterte and Kempner ensure they stay in the car – even as it gets sucked up by a UFO.

Watch the music video below, and find out more Bachelor goodness online on their official website.