Establishing the mood with intricate, magnetic, descending and slurred electric guitar notes, before expanding into a bright and moody indie-pop meets alternative rock hybrid energy, we are already hypnotized by Mellowpunk‘s new single, VILGAX!!!!!.
With poetic delivery, VILGAX!!!!! opens with situational lyricism, as vocalist Madeline McClure sings, “Why’d you have to tell me that, that cup of jealousy’s filling too fast, never wanted to see you on Tuesday, another complaint on your average doomsday…”
The song evolves to tell the story of a person’s dealings with internal anger about another individual. The perspective of seeing the individual as the “bad guy” in their life (hence the title VILGAX!!!!!, who was the main antagonist for the TV series “Ben 10”) and the consequences that find their way into your life when acting on these emotions.
Lyrical highlights include the assertive and conceptual, “I’m just surprised you can talk so loud with all those flavors of vanity in your mouth…” and the violent “Go out looking for funeral flowers, wish you were the girl getting stabbed in the shower…”
Although energetic, the composition has a melancholic edge and deals with quite difficult emotions that are still quite relatable. Speaking on VILGAX!!!!!, the band says, “This track musically was meant to be a follow up to our debut album, I Don’t Think Two People Could Have Been Happier Than We Have Been. Compiling what we had learned in that recording process and writing something we wish could have potentially ended up on that project. We used some relationship fallouts that had been surrounding the group for the months we were writing the track as lyrical inspiration.”
VILGAX!!!!! was recorded with the Moxy Brothers (consisting of Adrian Young of No Doubt and Todd Forman) in Long Beach, CA, and the five exclamation points in the title are to indicate the released version was the fifth written version of the song. Iconic.
Mellowpunk consists of Madeline McClure (Lead Vocals, Bass), Devin Noth (Bass, Keys), Jacob Paulson (Vocals, Guitar), Sage Garrett (Guitar) and Ethan Minard (Drums) and the band cites Alvvays, Tame Impala, Crumb, Grimes, MARINA, Hippo Campus, David Bowie and The Japanese House as influences, although it is clear that they are creating a universe of their own.
We have added VILGAX!!!!! to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we immerse ourselves in Mellowpunk‘s wider discography including The Sun’s Exploding.