Flying buccaneers, a psychedelic teapot and a golden-nosed narwhal all contribute to the fantastical world of “We Are Golden,” the third video from Brooklyn-based indie band Black Light Dinner Party. After the success of 2012’s B.L.D.P EP and its video for “Gold Chain” starring legendary adult film star Ron Jeremy, “We Are Golden” offers a first glimpse of the band's much-anticipated debut album. Singer Jack Côté croons over a shimmering synth-pop lullaby, accompanied by Zach Lipkins on drums, Joel Friedman on keys and Dan Stevens on bass as his lyrics are twisted into an irreverent, dreamy adventure by animator Jonathan Seligson. “We had some ideas and sent them over,” says the band, “but when Jonathan responded with the following we just decided to go with it: ‘A Barbarella-type Eskimo adventurer and her polar bear companion race against a trio of Czarist-style Russian pirates on giant flying Tetris pieces.’” Although an acolyte of master storytellers Hayao Miyazaki and Walt Disney, Seligson looked to TV—specifically the Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time and Dexter’s Laboratory—as references for the technicolor trippiness. “The story, setting and character dynamics came to me spontaneously upon hearing the song for the first time,” the animator recalls. “As I listened, the imagery simply manifested in my mind’s eye.” We asked each band member to describe the appeal of their own favorite animated classic. 

Jack: “Ratatouille. It makes me cook something delicious, French, and bad for me to eat while watching. That might be more about the food though.”

Zach: “Kung Fu Panda. I like a panda who marches to the beat of his own drum.”

Joel: “The Triplets of Belleville. I’m amazed by all the visual detail. I love how the animators exaggerate the physical features of the characters, they look like caricatures of real people.”

Dan: “Waking Life. The film used various artists who layered animation on top of actual footage, creating a dreamlike effect that I find beautiful.”