Pink Lotion Give Up the Funk in Cameo-Filled "Activated" Video (KEXP Premiere)

If you’ve not only been wanting but most certainly needing the funk, then look no further than Pink Lotion. The newly-created project of ex-Seattlites and music industry vets Erik Blood and Rachael Ferguson is seriously sexy and cosmically sensual. Their debut EP Lusters, released in December, exists on a planet ruled by Prince where hot pants are an everyday staple and shirts are never buttoned above the navel.

Recorded in the duo’s current home of Los Angeles in the summer of 2019, the six-track EP gyrates with a burning fervor while also not taking itself too seriously. Ranging from the "what the hell?” ridiculousness of “Existential Deepthroat” with the hilariously nonsensical repeating verse, “Existential deepthroat/ Gender-fluid Santa/ Prophylactic duckbill/ All up in my titties” to the floatingly sultry “Activated” that makes sure to ask for consent for the inevitable impending sexy time in a sensual, possibly romantic, way.

Today, KEXP is premiering the trippy new official video for “Activated.” Directed by Sandy Wilson, the clip sees Blood in his trademark wide-brimmed hat with a long pink scarf while Ferguson dons a matching pink dress and elaborate headdress of tiny balls. Icons of the Seattle music scene make a smattering of subtle appearances in the grainy VHS-style footage, dialing the dubious psychics and singles lines that once pervaded late-night television. Everyone from Tacocat’s Emily Nokes and Lelah Maupin to Blood’s Knife Knight’s bandmate Ishmael Butler picks up the phone to jump on the line.

The phone call imagery is appropriate for the debut video from Blood’s new project and one of the few in which he’s unmasked. For the very few unfamiliar with Blood and his work, he’s hands down the guy Seattle musicians call if they want production done right. The 2016 Stranger Genius Award winner’s solo work goes back over a decade but Blood is inherently a collaborative creature, creating deep, lasting, and fruitful relationships like the one he has with Butler via Knife Knights and as Shabazz Palaces’ most official unofficial member.

Blood’s fruitful relationship with Ferguson started over six years ago when he produced the album Mating Call from Ferguson’s now-defunct punk-funk band NighTraiN. Created initially as a concept band for a play called “Hot Grits,” the four-piece self-described “girl band” was one of the most unique and exciting bands in Seattle in the early 2010s, blending soul harmonies with snotty riot grrl attitude.

As Pink Lotion, the duo has just one thing to say: “We like to play, so if you like to play, you should play with us.” Looks like I need to buy some hot pants. And don't forget to tune in to Street Sounds on Feb. 7 at 10 p.m. to hear a live recorded session from Pink Lotion in the KEXP studio.