Babes – “ATMO (Always Turning Me On)” Video (Stereogum Premiere)
“ATMO (Always Turning Me On)” is a pretty little ditty by L.A. band Babes, whose sexually charged M.O. includes a phone number in their Twitter bio that you can dial at your own discretion. The song, from Babes’ self-titled EP, bridges retro strains of girl-group pop and twee in a way that will resonate with Camera Obscura fans. It’s quite nice in and of itself, but the amazing video is what will really rope you in. Lourdes Hernandez AKA Russian Red stars as a phone sex operator who gets really, really into her job. There are more layers to it, of course, but you’ll have to parse them yourself. Hernandez gives a great performance here that plays up the inherent humor without tipping over too far into ridiculousness. Babes collaborated with director Drew Kordik on the clip, which more than accomplishes the goal of drawing attention to a worthy band. Watch it below. Note: Although nobody bears any skin, you might consider this one NSFW due to implied masturbation.