Retirement Party Drive Through the Desert in Video for New Single “Compensation”

Following their lead single “Runaway Dog,” Chicago three-piece Retirement Party have shared another new track from the album of the same name, out on May 15 via Counter Intuitive Records. “Compensation” arrives today with an accompanying video, which appears to be a sequel to the “Runaway Dog” clip. Paste featured Retirement Party in our list of Chicago Bands You Need to Know back in 2018.

“Runaway Dog” saw the band’s van break down in the middle of nowhere, and now “Compensation” sees them literally riding out of the dust, perched on top of the roof while shredding away. A similar sentiment behind a running joke among college students—essentially: “I hope I get hit by a bus. Then, I won’t have to pay off my student loans”—is now a buoyant power-pop chorus. “I’ll always know to look both ways before I cross the road / if I get hit all that means is compensation,” sings lead vocalist and guitarist Avery Springer. The song contemplates how to remain authentic and well-intentioned in a world that’s almost always the opposite, and this weighty question is paired with propulsive, good-natured indie rock. If only for a few minutes, their vibrant guitar jolts make life’s baked-in hurdles feel like a mirage—and they are driving through a desert after all.

Listen to “Compensation,” and preorder Runaway Dog here.