The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound

What this video is

Released in 2008, 'The '59 Sound' arrived as the title track and debut single of The Gaslight Anthem's second album on SideOneDummy Records — a record that eMusic named best album of 2008 and that Kerrang! awarded a perfect score. The song is an elegy written for a friend who died in a car accident, and its title references a 1959 Fender Bassman amplifier Brian Fallon built himself. The video's unadorned…

Why it matters

A defining artifact of the late-2000s heartland punk revival, situating New Jersey indie punk within a continuum of emotionally direct American rock storytelling. The video's performance-only format was a deliberate and consistent choice across the band's promo output, foregrounding musicianship…

The director

Kevin Custer is a music video director credited with directing multiple videos for The Gaslight Anthem, including 'Great Expectations,' 'The '59 Sound,' and 'Old White Lincoln,' all released via SideOneDummy Records circa 2008–2009. Known for kinetic,…