"There's more to life than your bottom line," Hunter Cahill wearily pleads in the first single from their upcoming debut album Some Things You Don't Know About Me. This first release, "Goddamn", is just one of twelve that will explore the all too human quest of reconciling the story we tell ourselves with our actual experience.
"Goddam" focuses on the transactional nature of those relationships. In these failing relationships, Hunter Cahill's dark vocal timbre juxtaposes the bright guitar. The naive hope of the instrumentation jarringly emphasizes the direct lyrics. "It feels like all I'm worth is what I can do for you."
Halfway through the song, the optimistic guitar solos. With slight distortion, the last light of hope flickers. In this capitalistic society, reaching out for a deeper connection isn't often reciprocated. There's always someone else's selfish desire to contend with.
Even the opening, the gentle heart-on-the-sleeve acoustic strumming sounds like it's inviting other instruments to join. But only the consistently repetitive drums show up, doing the bare minimum to sustain the forward motion. Musically, it's a brave and risky choice that pays off; emotionally, it's a gut punch that further emphasizes each lyric. Please, someone, give Hunter a hug.
Stream "Goddam" below.
Ben is an advertising Madman who spends his days with words and music. When he's not writing for his supper, he's eating it at some of NYC's most interesting restaurants.
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