Royal Blush – Butterflies on the Grave
Yes, you’re right! Your powers of perception are very strong, and, indeed, there is a large market for breakup songs. But it’s always been this way. And, arguably, there are no other types of events that deserve the pop-rock treatment than this.
Sure, yes, there are plenty of tunes that verge the opposite way. Why, you’ve probably heard an old rock song about going out, breaking hearts, and smiling all the way back to your day job. Plenty of those are radio staples.
But those people are either liars or narcissistic maniacs who ought to be put away on an island, forced to deal amongst themselves and never allowed to leave. Real people bleed, hurt and have to shout about it.
Royal Blush doesn’t just provide an emotionally tinged alt-rock song about the singer’s own brush with the bluest of the blues. “Butterflies on the Grave,” is a love letter for everyone who has been trying to muster the strength and bravery to walk away from toxic, soul-destroying relationships. And, when the lead vocals snap into the chorus, you’ll believe it.
paperface – 100%
Musical scenes usually congregate around a single idea. It can be a good idea, like freedom for everybody. That one was such a winner that the hippies made believers out of millions of people worldwide who adopted the tie-dye shirts, the dope-smoking and dreams of peace. That notion was nice enough that it lasted for years, and several other scenes adopted it as their own.
But it can also be a really dumb idea. Scenes can come together for the purpose of everyone wearing pointy green hats and dancing around like drunken bears. Or, maybe a scene can be created by high school students who’ve come upon books by Arthur Schopenhauer and decided to take them seriously. There’s no telling what kinds of ideas will bring people together.
But all these scenes can’t just be about wearing uniforms. You’ll need bands like paperface, and songs like “100%,” a memory of a romantically induced nervous breakdown. Don’t be startled! Your scene will still be there. In fact, it’ll be stronger when it accepts hard-edged personal stories and agonising confessions. At the end of the day, nobody can live like anyone else. We can only learn and find common ground.
