Fetching Pails Beats the Heat in 'Blue Grotto, Le Beau!' [Fresh Vid]

Jill Townsend calls for listeners to break out the champagne, melon coolers and tiny umbrellas in her new single, “Blue Grotto, Le Beau.” Townsend, who you’ll remember from Nightblonde and the Rocky Horror Rock ’n’ Roll Show, released the track and a video as part of a new solo project called Fetching Pails.

The lyrics of “Blue Grotto” are a collage of images of summer, detailing everything one would need to throw a proper summer party. “Rim the flute / Mango juice and brut / Pour the grenadine / Tuck the children in / Invite everyone,” Townsend sings, over an arrangement that is more Joni Mitchell than the dreamy electronic soundscape of Nightblonde.

Appropriately, she assembled the video from vintage public domain clips of summertime activities: Grownups in old-school bathing suits jump into a lake and a pool, children catch water balloons and go on a scouting trip. There’s a dinner party (the strawberry ice cream sundae looks great, the meats suspended in gelatin maybe not so much) and dancing in a nightclub. Townsend tells the Scene that the clip sources range from government educational and instructional videos to a Montgomery Ward promo film. Bonus points if you recognize the voice of film and TV actress Janis Paige talking about a typical California day at the beginning of the piece.

Fetching Pails doesn't have any gigs on the books at the moment, but Townsend does plan to release an album in the fall. Keep up with the project via Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp and Soundcloud for updates.