I don’t mind being older and out of it musically. Every now and then the itch to write and record strikes me, but I haven’t paid any attention to new releases for over a decade, and what I hear at the gym and on the radio seldom gives me any cause to regret that. I liked rap back in the Public Enemy and NWA days, but it really has turned out to be the musical dead end some said it was always bound to be.
Now, I did like “Stressed Out” a lot, but for all its potential to serve as the Millennial anthem, it sounded like just another good one-hit wonder band to me. I mean, “Cake by the Ocean” is even catchier. But then I heard this, which has me going through their entire catalog now, which is surprisingly interesting. “Semiautomatic” and “Lane Boy” are nearly as good, and “House of Gold” is nearly as pretty, but this is just a very, very good song… just be sure to stick with it until the third minute.
I promise you, it doesn’t go where one naturally assumes it will; it’s more than white Millennial emo-rap. And, of course, I can’t help but notice that techno is one of their musical influences or that there are Christian themes woven into their lyrics.