"Poets claim we recapture the self when we enter the garden we used to live in our youth." — Jennifer Egan

Toasted’s Revival Sounds Like “Plink Plink”

Indulge in Caity Simmers’ state of wonder.

elsewhere // Jun 19, 2026

Words by Coral McDuffee

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Caity’s cathedral is in the trees. Sometimes, she’ll bring me there.

Where the very sun smiling at her freckles cuts open my lips. And the wily grass that cradles her like a long-lost child sends red welts up my legs.

Usually, when the mosquitoes become pterodactyls or our truck breaks down on a cliffside with no cell service (or wine), I’ll make one promise to myself: Never nature again.

Then, two hours or so later. After a hitchhike and tab of Benadryl, we are laughing so loud the raccoons retreat. My phone is lost, along with its relative importance, because how could artificial light ever compete with constellations? Or the stove top with the wild tango of campfire?

Caity’s church makes perfect sense. Especially in our current 9 x 16 epidemic. Studies show Gen Z is ditching their phones to have agency over their attention and mental health. In the 20-year-old’s latest release, “Plink Plink,” Simmers encourages her viewers to find their own state of wonder.

“I was listening to an album by Mira and she has a song called “Plink Plink Plink. My friend Star has the instrument and made some of the music for the in-between section. It feels light-hearted, twinkley, and fun.

“After you are done with the video, stand up, walk outside, and hug your friends. Whether your friend is a human is besides the point, it could be a tree or bee. Nature makes me understand that there is so much more than what’s going on in your brain,” Caity told us.

Like most Toast, the slightly burnt b-roll provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Caity’s hangs on tour. The youth cult includes: Bellatreas Kenworthy, Sawyer Lindblad, Ryan Risko, Alani Morse, Ewe Wong, Peeta Kenworthy and Karen Yamene.

Pete Wingfield’s 1975 hit, “Eighteen With a Bullet” became an innuendo for a rapidly rising star. Both Caity and Bella have this trajectory. The unintentional resonance in their Goldy part is delightful

Many are returning characters from the Toasted roster, but a keen eye can detect one abnormality. Instead of the signature “Sketchy Sketching” treatment, the lettering is rounded, bubbling, and playful, all thanks to the newest addition, Karen Yamene

“Karen is a lovely lady from Japan who started shooting only six years ago, but she doesn’t miss clips. It’s pretty nice to have a girl on tour who cares about surfing in the least critical way. We both share the vision of making cool videos and like to doodle. Karen’s husband — Hammah Time— lent us his iPad — so we created a lot of flower art in New Zealand, and went 50/50 on the editing of “Plink Plink.”

*“I’m excited to visit Japan to see where Karen gets her inspiration from, it’s very different from what I’ve grown up around which adds a lot.”*

Will we be seeing a major motion picture premiere in Tokyo soon? I speculated.

“I’m looking at a three-foot beach break in Brazil now, and thinking most people don’t have the privilege of surfing perfect waves, so that’s why I like edits. I want to show all types of surfing in all types of waves.

Obviously, I want to make another good surf film, but it’s hard to keep clips off Instagram on tour. I do have a few saves from El Salvador that I’m going to put in an upcoming Toasted revival film. We’ve got a few things coming in the next six months.”

Stay tuned.