Establishing the mood with a subversive and vibrant electric guitar riff, The Margaret Hooligans open their single, Red Rider with the conceptual and situational lyrics, “They said you weren’t to be trusted, I just laughed and handed you my things, and I was warned but took no heed, and now I am sorry oh so sorry…”
Red Rider expands to deliver an alternative rock meets grunge-folk hybrid soundscape, and reinterpretation of the much loved Red Riding Hood fairytale.
In a high concept manner, the lyrics also reveal an allegory for the last few years we’ve been living through. We appreciate the intricate guitar and drum-work from the rising band from Bala Cynwyd, and are in awe of the details of the unique electric ukulele.
The middle of the song lends itself to a breakdown and more experimental nature, rich with fantasy and featuring vocalist Meg’s iconic vocals, with crashing symbols, clanging cowbells, pounding djembe and ukulele. We are in awe of the unique instrumentation used, which really sets Red Rider apart, in terms of originality.
Lyrical highlights include the vulnerable, “Can no one cheer me, I was on a merry go round, I was crawling around…”, and the assertive and empowering, “Don’t need you sniffing around my door, those wolf eyes won’t work on me no more…”
Red Rider also comes with a cinematic and ethereal music video, set in the woods, featuring our protagonists delivering an epic performance and truly embodying the iconic fairy tale character, along with the full moon and even a wolf!
The opus is the third single from The Margaret Hooligans‘ upcoming sophomore album, Turntable Tribulations, due out in October and is produced by Mr. Strontium with mixing and mastering by Jon Huxtable of Smallfish Recordings.
We have added Red Rider to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we stream The Margaret Hooligans‘ wider discography and anticipate Turntable Tribulations!