Triathalon is an indie-pop/R&B group based out of New York City, and their new music video for “Courtside” visually encapsulates several lyrical themes related to the experience of being a musician living in the big city.
The video features several shots of quintessential New York - the skyline, heavy traffic and the subway - as well as multiple shots of a basketball court on which Adam Intrator and Hunter Jayne - Triathalon’s vocalist and guitarist, respectively - sing, play and dance along to the tune.
The shots of the basketball court are central to the meaning of the song. After the second chorus Intrator drops the song title, saying, “I’ve been chilling courtside.” The term initially coined to refer to a basketball player not involved in the game - a player who has been “benched” - is here appropriated by Intrator to symbolize larger feelings of dissatisfaction and ambition.
Intrator is not the first to do this; the word “courtside” absolutely has cultural connotations in which it means “not involved” or “not relevant.” Intrator’s use of “courtside” reflects his frustration with the dichotomy between his apparent musical success and the reality of his living situation. Immediately before he references the title of the song he sings, “I’ve been making waves. I’ve been working days.” Later on he says, “Trying to change the game. Trying to keep my name...Sick of working part-time.”
The song is laced with references to work - “working late nights,” “working days,” “working part-time” - set next to lyrics about Triathalon’s grind and success - “hit the studio at the waste side,” “I’ve been making waves,” “Trying to change the game.”
In this lyrical juxtaposition lies the heart of the song - an expression of frustration and exhaustion with the fact that, on the surface, Triathalon is extremely successful, but the reality of the band members’ day-to-day lives is anything but glamorous or easy. The disparity between Intrator’s lifestyle and, for example, Cardi B’s lifestyle is where the image of being courtside comes into play. While Triathalon has achieved a measurable level of success, they still have to work part-time jobs; whereas Cardi B has achieved a measurable level of success and definitely has no need for a part-time job.
The dichotomy of Intrator’s lyricism is visually symbolized through juxtaposition of shots featuring Jayne and Intrator lounging and dancing on the basketball court with shots of Jayne, Intrator, and Triathalon’s drummer, Chad Chilton, riding on the crowded subway and overlooking the busy streets of New York City.
The video reduces the city to a series of brief visual snippets - a shot of a plane through thick smog, dense traffic on a street, an intersection filmed from a passing train, a bike rack, the skyline and, of course, a basketball court. This is certainly not all of New York City, but all of these shots feature things that hold great significance to New Yorkers: the subway is the primary mode of transportation for many in the city, especially those living on lower incomes, as is biking; the dense traffic brings to mind the huge population of the area and the infamous hustle and bustle of the city that never sleeps; the skyline holds a special place in the minds of many people as a representation of one of the most important cities in the world.
The recurring shots of the basketball court are especially important to every level of the video. As discussed earlier, the court serves as representation of Triathalon’s desire - being “in the game” rather than “courtside.” This is the ambition of the band and, at a larger level, of every New Yorker. This ambition is especially signified by a shot of a basketball hoop, which is both literally and figuratively a goal; figuratively, it is success on a level that allows for suspension of the concerns of everyday living - working part-time, riding a packed subway, making rent.
These symbolic shots of the basketball court are intercut with equally important images of everyday living in the city - reality. The crowded subway, busy traffic, and everything else that dominates the lives of regular New Yorkers is represented here.
“Courtside” is the disparity between reality and fantasy - the difference between the life Intrator, Jayne, Chilton and most other New Yorkers live day-to-day versus the life Cardi B lives.
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