See Eric Slick and Natalie Prass Get ‘Closer to Heaven’ [Fresh Vid]

There are lots of ways you might know Eric Slick’s work. He’s kept time for Dr. Dog and for wife Natalie Prass. A few months back, he and a bunch of friends also clowned charmingly on the celebs who made a big deal out of a socially distanced group sing of “Imagine” with their rendition of Blink-182’s “I Miss You.” 

You might be familiar with Slick’s inventive solo records, consisting of a handful EPs and an LP that you can find over on Bandcamp. His catalog runs the gamut from solo guitar compositions and free improvisation to a song cycle about the first Jewish American matador and the forward-thinking ’70s-schooled pop of his forthcoming second LP Wiseacre. 

The album, set for release Aug. 14, features contributions from a wide array of musicians. You’ll hear guitar hero Sean Thompson and harp heroine Mary Lattimore, among many others; Battle Tapes’ Jeremy Ferguson produced and engineered. One standout song is “Closer to Heaven,” a grooving, kinda Surf's Up-era Beach Boys-sounding tune that touches on coping with creeping anxiety, which Slick co-wrote with Dr. Dog’s Scott McMicken. Prass sings on the proto-disco-inflected chorus, and she also co-stars in the music video. 

Directed by Jaffe Zinn, the vid features Slick as a haunted protagonist who follows visions of Prass (portraying a kind of transcendental faerie) into his imagination. Check it out above, and visit Bandcamp to preorder a copy of the album. There’s also a crowdfunding campaign, administered through Bandcamp, to press the record on vinyl. It’s about two-thirds of the way there, but it won’t happen if the goal isn’t met by next Wednesday, Aug. 5, so hurry up and make a pledge! Signed test pressings are sold out, but there is a special collection of B-sides and demos available as an incentive.