Tuesday Tracks: Your Weekly New Music Discovery – March 15
Dälek, courtesy.
This week we feature the folky reinterpretation of 6TH CROWD, an anti-war anthem by LORD OF THE LOST, the anti-establishment ethos of Dälek, pop-punk revival of Movements and Chief State, and The Mysterines’ balanced perspective.
6TH CROWD, “Sokolonko” — This song comes from Ukrainian artist Dari Maksymova, from the Donbass region. This smooth, electro-pop interpretation of a traditional eastern Ukranian harvest song highlights an overlooked part of Ukraine’s larger culture and history. The light electric guitar strums over the popping bass synths creates a very serene, yet playful melody that’s a joy to listen to.
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LORD OF THE LOST, “Not My Enemy” — This German band has been politically outspoken about disadvantaged people many times before, and here it’s speaking out in protest against the invasion of Ukraine. This solemn ballad was created in an immediate response to the Russian war, and lead singer Chris Harms’ cries for peace echo similarly to those of Dolores O’Riordan’s (The Cranberries) 1994 anti-war anthem, “Zombie.”
The Mysterines, “Life’s a Bitch (But I Like it So Much)” — This grimy garage and punk rock band rides out life’s more miserable moments with a grin. The Mysterines manage to find balance between pleasure and pain, where one cannot exist without the other. There is something so indulgent about the wailing, echoing vocals of Lia Metcalfe as she rides the scaling waves of the guitar riffs.
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Movements, “Barbed Wire Body” — The revival of pop-punk in recent years has been something of a nostalgia trip for me, as bands like Movements evoke the bygone era of Warped Tour. This song is about playing aloof and maintaining a defensive distance from those around you. It’s the kind of anthem for angsty teens wandering aimlessly around the town they hate so much while trying to figure out why everything sucks so much.
Dälek, “Boycott” — This is the kind of gritty, underground hip-hop music I live for. MC Dälek has been no stranger to delivering heavy- hitting lyrics since ’97. On this new track, he rips into the ever-present issue of impending social collapse hanging over our heads constantly. Following this two-year pandemic, an ineffectual and corrupt government and international conflict, his pessimism is palpable.
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Chief State, “Team Wiped” — Just when you thought we were done with pop-punk for the week, think again. Vancouver’s Chief State is quickly rising. This song serves as a reversal of tropes common in the genre. It follows someone who’s realizing that things aren’t working in their life, and that something’s got to change. The kicker is that they themselves are the ones taking the steps, rather than just raging into the void.
Tim’s pick: Hands down, I have to give it to Dälek. The dingy and grimy industrial instrumental pairs beautifully with the prose of this seasoned rap veteran. New Jersey has produced many hip-hop gems over the years, and Dälek stands among them. However, the most impactful part of the song isn’t the blind pessimism behind the bleak picture of our reality laid out for us. It’s what the song says to do when faced with adversity from a broken system: Don’t play the game on their terms.
Follow editor Tim Hoffman at Twitter.com/hipsterp0tamus.