Widows Gold – Gaslighter
The best modern songwriters are the ones who manage to infuse their music with a universal message. The best songwriters also seem to share another characteristic – they are not what you’d expect. Long gone are the days when every rock star had a British accent and a moustache or hair to their shoulders and came out of Florida.
Writing great songs is something that is open to everyone, and audiences have been smart enough to forget about those silly uniforms that people lucky enough to have this job used to wear in the past.
Heartbreak that leads people to the verge of nervous collapse is also quasi-universal and, thankfully, discussed more in pop tunes. Love is often a gruesome but alluring thing.
Widows Gold’s “Gaslighter” is a well-written pop song, a tune that hides some real weight and darkness. It is, however, cleverly marketed and produced in a way that will not frighten off modern listeners. Lastly, it is a song about being driven to the breaking point by someone who ought to care. If all these things don’t help this single be successful, we need to reconsider how we choose our pop stars.
Overshare – A Hate Song
Unless they are writing tunes about teenage tragedies, a la “Last Kiss,” songwriters aren’t very useful when they’re happy, content, and there’s nothing missing in their lives. They’re a bit like the modern professional athlete without the steroids. Sure, it could work… technically. But who in their right mind would want to pay for that?
Nah, it’s fun to see fate push artists around. That goes double for songwriters who can then turn that rancour into tunes that people can all sing along to. This must sound mean, but in the absence of it, all brainy songwriters have to write about are trips to the supermarkets and driving their car by the beach. And, let’s face it, the best songs about either of these topics have been written.
And so, the head honcho behind Overshare ought to feel that fate has done him a favour. “A Hate Song” is a tune describing the fights and acrimonious split from the majority of the band’s previous band members. It also comes with a wise realisation about how hatred only breeds breeds. But that’s beside the point. Overshare is/are snarky, upset and one gets the feeling that he/they do their best work this way. To hell with jealous former band members!
