
Sometimes I feel like I’m stuck in an episode of Doom Patrol. There’s always a cataclysmic event lurking around the corner to sucker punch me out of existence. But by pure dumb luck, it narrowly misses, and I come out victorious. The feeling of triumph never lasts, though. Like clockwork, the next life-threatening incident is waiting for me. The reoccurring nature is bound to make anyone a little introspective. Sir Echo’s “Obituary” serves as listeners’ exploration guide into this introspection.
“Obituary” is an alt-pop single that doubles as a lyrical confession about the impeding existential dread that’s got our generation in a chokehold. The song opens with catchy guitar chimes that lead listeners into the first verse. This verse accurately captures how we feel about an uncertain future that’s been misshaped by the careless generations before us; “Placed all my bets on the weakest horse / That sucker’s gonna get me there / I’m gonna come in first”. We’re fully aware that we’ve been dealt a bad hand, but we’re determined to make the best of it and to even come out ahead. The second verse is where the group reads prior generations to filth – informing them that they’ve worn “past the expiration on [our] patience these days / [We’re] not gonna take their sound advice”. ‘Sound advice’ is the perfect utilization of irony here; the advice we’ve been given has been anything but sound. Especially when it’s considered that the doom stalking us is a byproduct of their actions (and inactions) – their advice shouldn’t be trusted to begin with. The chorus then breaks from the thoughts at hand to give listeners a flash of sentimentality by asking: “If everything ended would you lie with me? / In the middle of the road while it crumbles beneath us?” It makes you think about who you’d want next to you if our generation succumbed to an ill fate. And serves as a testament to how compassionate our generation is, too. This compassion is emphasized in the third verse when it’s vocalized: “I picked up the glass and I cleaned up the mess / I don’t expect you or anyone to understand”. Despite addressing the mess older generations have left for us, their inability to comprehend compassion unfortunately makes them dismiss it as a valuable contribution to society. That in turn has our generation believing we haven’t done anything that’s worthy of being written in an obituary – but I think our eternal optimism and benevolence in the face of unwarranted catastrophe proves otherwise.
Sir Echo features the collective musical forces of lead-singer, Chaz Kiss; guitarist, Jeremy Stene; and drummer, David Stingle. Based out of Hudson Valley, New York, Sir Echo gets their kicks from inducing mosh pits up and down the east coast. The noise-makers discography consists of clever social commentary disguised as rich lyricism and ear-gasmic instrumentals that’s sure to bring out anyone’s inner angst. If you’ve enjoyed their woman-fronted alt-pop as much as I have, there’s an opportunity to see them play live in New York next Friday, January 20th. The band will be one of the performers for Breaking Sound NYC at Pianos. But if you find yourself west coast bound like me, virtual love in the form of streams, likes, and follows is always appreciated, too.
Written by Giavanna Gradaille
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