Waldo Witt (John Waldo Wittenmyer) is a man of many witticisms. On his Facebook bio, you will find the model of his tour van, a 1998 Ford Econoline, which coincidentally also serves as the inspiration for his upcoming EP. You'll also find his preferred MarioKart character (Wario), and a winded description of his arrival at his solo project. The first single off that project, "Crystal Ball", is a shimmering psych-pop number with an accompanying video that frankly would put Napoleon Dynamite to shame.
Dazzling and upbeat, "Crystal Ball" honours Wittenmyer's psych-rock roots while dressing them up in soft, dance-ready pop accents. After breaking up with a band he spend a decade playing with and moving cross-country to North Carolina, Wittenmyer was left with a tour van he loved, a multitude of questioning thoughts – and the time to address them. While "Crystal Ball" eludes to a self-realization anthem, in truth, it is more of a self-accepting journey. Wittenmyer recently shared with comeherefloyd that the track "[is maybe] not the slightly negative 'you think you have it figured out but you don’t', but more of an affirmation that, well, maybe it’s not for us to question if others have it figured out or not, but rather to find our own way to figure out our own place and to make the best out of ourselves and our own situation.”
Mirroring that softly-spoken affirmation, the video follows Wittenmyer through vintage sceneries as he trains his dancing shoes for a spectacular solo performance. His innocence and honest struggle permeate every scene, capturing a man who is not quite ready – but is doing everything he can to be.
