Polyvinyl Record Co. is proud to announce Birth of Omni, the new album from Birthmark due out January 19th, 2024. Birthmark is the ongoing creative endeavor of Nate Kinsella, the accomplished multi-instrumentalist who over the years has also lent his considerable talent to a constellation of beloved indie groups. Maybe you’ve heard every Joan of Arc, American Football, LIES, and Make Believe record, but you’ve never heard Kinsella quite like this, because he’s never sounded quite like this—totally open to every idea and emotion, unrestrained as he tries to frame the future in whatever light he can find. 

Today Kinsella also shares the lead single “Rodney”, a song that brings many of the underlying themes of the album to the forefront. As he worked on Birth of Omni, Kinsella reckoned with his own sexuality, coming to grips with the acceptance that he’d never really fit into the social straitjacket of masculinity he’d tried to don neatly for 40 years. Now with a family and approaching middle age, could he admit that he was more than someone’s straight husband? Could he deal with it? The gorgeous and compulsive “Rodney” is a lustful song for the would-be paramour that gives the track its name, countered by Kinsella’s awareness that maybe the escapades of his youth are behind him, that he’s got other commitments in his life. Shudder to Think’s Craig Wedren backs Kinsella on vocals, playing the real role of the supportive voice who has been here before. We make choices for those we love, Kinsella affirms during “Rodney,” but the adventures of our imaginations can and should remain endless.

“I developed a pretty-deep crush on a male co-worker, which was a new thing for me.” shares Kinsella about the song. “And this fun little song popped into my head. I’ve always felt straight-leaning but I’ve also noticed that the context and people matter a lot in how I feel, so I’ve come to accept my sexuality as dynamic in nature”

The music video for “Rodney”, directed by Ben Wietmarschen (Whose work has appeared on Funny Or Die, The Tonight Show, The Onion, and more) and Nate Kinsella, perfectly encapsulates the thrust of the song, depicting a bewildered and disheveled Kinsella having a “One In A Lifetime” moment of existential crisis, trying to make sense of his hitherto suppressed underlying desires as they relate to his joyfully chaotic family life. In the end, he finds peace and a space for both to coexist in harmony.