We all need a pick me up in the foggy fatigue of this pandemic and mine usually comes from a cold beer or a great song.
Since it’s Friday, you can have both, and Washington DC duo Teen Mortgage is bringing the tunes with their new video for ‘Such Is Life‘. To be honest the track offers more of a punch in the throat than a happy pick-me-up but it works for me.
Teen Mortgage’s EP ‘Life/Death‘ was a highlight of 2019 and their blend of hooky sludged-out garage surf punk is a potent mix of styles. On ‘Such Is Life‘ James – guitar and vocals, Ed – drums build on that combination with a smothering Black Flag fuel injection.
The band says ‘Such Is Life‘ soundtracks a protest to the trappings of Western society: underlining education inequality, toxic pop culture, nationalism, and capitalist greed. James described the song’s lyrics as paying homage to the opening monologue in Irvine Welsh’s 1996 film, Trainspotting. The acerbic wordplay of the song’s refrain, “Such is life, so choose life,” alludes to the existential crisis of being coerced into contributing to a societal hierarchy that does not contribute back.
Both the song and video are products of Teen Mortgage’s pandemic detour. Suddenly finding themselves with time to record and hone some DIY video skills. The music video for “Such is Life” is completely written, directed, produced, and edited by Teen Mortgage.
It’s Bandcamp Friday too so you know what you need to do.
