Wednesday May 17, 2022
If this introductory verse lyric doesn’t get your attention, I don’t know what will: ‘in the beginning / there was some hope / not long after / there was the dope / a look in the mirror / said it all and all she wrote / the bacon descended / pullover you scrot’.
These are some of the words from Suburbiasuburbia’s new single, Bad Day Loser, the follow-up to their last release, Bruce Hwy Elbow, which generated a lot of interest from radio networks and streaming platforms across the country, is another dose of concentrated rock energy yet utilising a timely and perhaps more pertinent subject matter—the recent floods.
The song is about losing the lot but gaining something else in return. As the band says, ‘Bad Day Loser is a song about losing the lot but finding a way. The track refers to the much-vaunted slippery slide of compounding conditions thrown up by life. Specifically, the lyrics mention a traffic vignette featuring a couple who, upon being stopped by Police for a driving violation – have their personal stash seized upon. This leads to indecent, sexist labelling, which is quick wittedly captured by an audio phone app for sharing across a number of major social platforms exposing a loose- lipped patrolman to a career-ending pathway.’ Suburbiasuburbia persuasively blends social commentary with hard-driving blues-rock, not a combination that’s all too common.
And what a series of conditions the narrative offers: from exposed loose-lipped patrolmen, devastating floods, photo albums drifting down the storm drains, burnt down phone towers, to living in a tent in a park, Bad Day Loser blends stark, sobering images with an indestructible desire to survive, all communicated in the band’s signature sound and a sense of resilience, wit, and playfulness. The new track charges out of the speakers in an unrelenting fashion and never lets up.
The combination of guitars and harmonica surging across a tight as, rock steady rhythm section provides the classic combination, with the evocative, blues-inspired vocal performance adding to the overall effect. As is typical of Suburbiasuburbia’s approach, the lyric’s direct nature mirrors the no-frills, full-throttle musical landscape, creating a rousing, all-encompassing effect.
