MONTE – Popular Too
We used to be convinced that our favourite rock musicians were people who could never get hired for a respectable job, who would never betray their principles in order to help their career, and who’d always sacrifice everything for their art.
Most of us are now convinced that the vast majority of rock stars should’ve been lawyers and accountants instead of musicians, that they have disgusting rich friends that they need to entertain, and that they’d sell out and become a reality TV star at the first chance that they get.
But, eventually, we all get the kind of role models that we deserve. The misfits making art for people just like them and earnestly looking to connect, people like the trio of musicians in MONTE, will be the ones who rule the future, if we demand it.
With that in mind, MONTE’s “Popular Too” is a charming, straight-to-the-point pop punk song about not forcing yourself to fit in and, eventually, finding the right kinds of friends to help with your need for approval. It’s a catchy song about invidiality, a song that feels made for the right reason and a reminder that the popular kids are, likely, doing a lot of work and getting very little fun for it.
SHARK TRAILS – Spitting Teeth
Yes, modern bands and musical artists sure do want to know how you feel! The moment that sales start to slow down, Coldplay and Sabrina Carpenter’s reps will be handing out surveys to fans at the end of every show. They’ll get companies that specialise in statistics to write they a report. And, finally, they’ll get their clients, the artists, to write music that suits the precise feelings of the fans.
That’s precisely what bands like Shark Trails want to avoid. If it feels like the aforementioned strategy feels like big companies working backwards, it’s precisely because that’s what it is. Modern bands are desperate to create engagement, not sell art. Most modern bands want to know what you think so that they can say it back to you. And, I promise that, in this way, you’ll never find a real connection with this sort of music.
Germany’s Shark Trails, on the other hand, operate by the idea that delivering emotionally raw, personal stories is the only manner in which songs can be written. But, judging the grand nature and confident delivery on “Spitting Teeth,” the band also believes that singing about one’s deepest fears and brightest hopes is the only way to get listeners to properly engage, to truly connect and to stick around. Soul beats out surveys every time!
