Posted: by The Editor
Drunk Girl, the producer currently best known for a track featured in the car-soccer video game Rocket League, is taking a step back from EDM to provide a thoughtful, personal pop-punk EP with Bet You Weren’t Expecting a Rock Album. It’s full of reliability, quick fun guitar work boosted by wonderful EDM mixing tricks, and lyrics that don’t force being more than what they are. From the early doors of the game, the simple singable rhymes of “Happy Pills” may have you wondering if the rest of the tracks will simply chase the high of the opener. I’m here to tell you that the whole project is a breath of fresh air for the style. The youthfulness of pop-punk and indie rock feels like a juxtaposition to the lyrics that don’t harbor any angst, some real end-to-end stuff.
“I Saw Myself From the Ceiling” starts with quick tiki-taka guitar similar to Neutral Milk Hotel, is less than 2 minutes, and is a quick approach to self reflection. “I wait to eat til I’m starving / which is easy cause I never leave my apartment” rises in optimism to “I think that I’ll be all right today” echoing into the next song. The consistent on-the-nose lyricism is either commendable in its relatability or corny depending on your outlook. Case in point: “Mistakes” taps into that coming-of-age-movie moment where the protagonist is now aware that there’s a supporting cast as well, something we’ve all (hopefully) gone through and share reminiscing. “I Am Me” is a melodic listing of affirmations with some of the most fun drum machine Drunk Girl offers. “I am not the demons in my brain / I am not the suffering, I am not the pain” makes me want to clean my living space in a montage, or smile at more people passing me by on the sidewalk.
You may recognize after just two songs in Bet You Weren’t Expecting a Rock Album insists on a clear theme of rebuilding and not looking back on past mistakes with rose colored glasses. Producer Drunk Girl’s pointed genuineness accompanied by drum loop strips away the fluff so well that I gave up the soccer gags halfway through the review.
My sober as a judge advice? Listen to this Drunk Girl.
Disappointing / Average / Good / Great / Phenomenal
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Anne Hurban | @fyrbrdtransanne
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