Browsing Tag

Satirical Pop

J fired shots in his arcane parody pop-rock hymn, Our Men

Posted on 15 May 2024

Satirically blasphemous shots were fired at the military-industrial complex and the absurdity of piety in the latest single, Our Men, from one of the UK’s most enigmatic originators, J.

Having already witnessed J through his single Shame on You, we knew to expect a certain degree of endearing obscurity in this single, described as a stimulation of humour, intellect, emotion, body and soul, yet the one-man powerhouse exceeded all expectations in the spacey chorally psychedelic pop-rock hit that simultaneously gives Jonathan Pie, Prince and The Beatles a run for their money.

The cleverly meta single delivers intricate layers of depth that stack up to stand as a monolithic testament to J’s ingenuity. Not one to throw himself into expositions half-heartedly, Our Men cracks open the psyche of a warped military captain turned priest with a penchant for invasion and occupation. The parallels of tyrannical control were always there, it just took an audaciously bold artist to create a sonic boardwalk between them.

The guitar work that could make angels cry as it soars throughout the gospel-esque pop production towards the outro is the icing on this arcane parody’s cake. Naturally, we can’t wait to hear what J sinks his lyrical teeth into next.

Stream the official music video for Our Men when it premieres on YouTube on May 15th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dylan Galvin painted a disparaging sign of the sonic times while firing shots at plastic pop acts in ‘How to Write a Pop Song’

Posted on 20 January 2024

Is there any better feeling than hitting play on a track and being greeted by lyrical depictions of the frustrations that keep you scathed? If you’re inclined to say no, you’re going to want to tune into Dylan Galvin’s latest hit, How to Write a Pop Song, where there are countless lyrical shots fired at the artists and producers cheapening the pop industry with every new ‘perennial pop earworm’.

The efficacious new wave synthpop hooks are buried under a myriad of lyrical layers which subversively make the single a revelationary exposition of how pop music has been plasticised and commercialised beyond recognition. With echoes of 80s greats in the same vein as George Michael reminding you of what pop used to be in its golden era fused with a modern synth aesthetic reminiscent of John Mayer, How to Write a Pop Song is a disparaging sign of the sonic times that will exhilarate you through the vindication you extrapolate.

With acerbic wit in no short supply, the track is a satirical triumph, especially with the inclusion of “choruses have got to big, thoughts have to be small”, and “just sing about your ex and how things used to be”. It was a bold move to be so damning of a genre he is contributing to, but Dylan Galvin more than pulled it off. While taunting the artists whose songs will be quickly be lost to history, he became unequivocally unforgettable.

How to Write a Pop Song will hit the airwaves on January 19; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast