honeywhip – “It’s all in Ur head man”
-This is a whole vibe. Dang, bro. We’ve covered honeywhip in the past, but this one takes on a whole new energy. I don’t often feature music with this kind of distortion, but the core melody and overall message is so good I have to feature it. If you’ve ever been the person out with friends who ruins the vibe because you’re stuck in your own head, this song is literally about you. Just chill out. The entire theme of the song is that you just need to relax because we’re all doing just fine. There are about a million people I wish could internalize this sentiment… myself included.
Scoobert Doobert – “All my friends live on the Internet”
-If you’ve been around my coverage the past few years, you know the name Scoobert Doobert. Definitely a chill vibe that I enjoy supporting. But the thing is, half the time you think the lyrics are just being a little silly… and then tucked in there you’ll hear something that is deeply significant. There’s an unsettling reality about how much of our social lives are routed through satellites via the Internet. As good art is supposed to do, the track makes us reflect on that disturbing reality. The dialup modem sample in the middle of the song is a great touch. This is one that feels a little silly, but when you connect with the lyrical message you’ll probably feel a little uncomfortable… and that’s ok. Embrace it.
Mitch Jones – “Darkness”
-Long before I became a folkie, I was a pop punk fan. Songs like this from Mitch Jones remind me of those great years of jumping for hours in a sticky-floored punk venue. The shouted vocal and desperation suits the lyrical theme well. But of course my favorite parts of the song are the big power chords and great harmonies. Fans of Blink-182 and Sum41 will find a lot to like about this sound. In my mind this sound will never get old; the lyrical theme about taking someone into the darkness with you is admittedly a bit unsettling, but it’s also this unapologetic “you get what you see” perspective that is much more valued in this generation than in the past. Punk is all about confronting and embracing your identity regardless of societal acceptance, so in that regard this track is as punk as can be.
