Though “Agita” was inspired by the punk bands Gamblers’ Michael McManus grew up on—the Clash, Ramones, Misfits—its video is awash in a different sort of nostalgia.
“Everyone you see onscreen is either my band member or my family member,” says the leader of the New York-based electro-indie outfit. “The video is dedicated to my mom, who passed in January. I really wanted to lean into the whole New York/New Jersey suburbs vibe—Italian American, Sopranos-eque.”
The video is set in McManus’s hometown of Massapequa, Long Island. “It’s where some famous mobsters lived: Carlo Gambino, Roy DeMeo, John Gotti Jr,” he says. “We just played into that and turned up the volume, showing the simultaneous love and chaos that can exist within a family dynamic.”
“Agita” is the latest single from Pulverizer, the follow-up to the Gamblers’ 2020 debut, Small World. For this one, McManus worked with fellow Long Island natives the Brothers Nylon. Meanwhile, the onetime sextet has been honed to an airtight trio featuring original drummer Johnny Hoblin and guitarist Jimmy Usher.
“I listen to country music next to Mobb Deep next to a pop song next to Pantera,” says McManus. “With Jimmy, Johnny and the Brothers Nylon, I found people who could roll with me on that. Gamblers was always going to morph into something that could encompass all these things. It started out with us presenting as a six-piece band, but there was always this other side to it.”
We’re proud to premiere Gamblers’ “Agita” video.
—Hobart Rowland
See Gamblers live.
