As of writing this, most of the United States has been subject to a shelter-in-place for over a month in order to slow the spread of COVID19. We have watched press conference after press conference and read article after article and to say everyone is still uncertain of the future would be an understatement. Do we stay inside? Can we stay inside? Will this virus go away? Can it go away? Regardless of your questions or opinions on the subject, there’s an absolute: The capitalist. Never letting a good pandemic go to waste, the capitalist will pounce on any opportunity to make a dollar or lift themselves up above another.
And just like the capitalist, Nashville’s gnarliest band, Hurts To Laugh is there to call them out.
Opening with an ominous, almost tribal march, “V Is For Victim” sees the band. exploring an unexpected, industrial sound. The guitars are chunkier than usual and used as a rhythm instrument resembling something closer to metal. The thunderous beats sound like they were recorded in a factory for making cyborgs. Capping things off are the distorted and vitriolic lyrics from Cliff Cobain giving the track an overall Ministry vibe.
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“Nobody In This World” has more in common with classic Hurts To Laugh in terms of aesthetics, but lyrically it leans into the nihilistic even harder. “Nobody in this world will get out alive, It’s probably better you know” Cobain starts in the chorus. “Nobody In this world has the strength to survive, it’s probably best that you won’t” he finishes. While this is certainly darker territory for the usually positive Hurts To Laugh, the self-awareness inadvertently paints it as a positive.
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Cliff and co. aren’t praising or encouraging nihilistic capitalism, they’re spelling it out for even the simplest of simpletons.
Whether you want to stay sheltered at home until the pandemic blows over or you’re willing to put your life in question for the sake of boredom, The Man is always there to turn a profit on your stupidity or justified fears. I can’t thank Hurts To Laugh for their unflinching knack for calling it out in the most satisfying way possible. We’re all listening to more music at home these days, so why not listen to something that sees through the BS? V Is For Victim/Nobody In This World does that trick and then some.
V Is For Victim/Nobody In This World is available now on Bandcamp.
