Punk is, frankly, quite simple. and in the simplicity of it lies all of its challenges and aesthetics. It is also the simplicity that provides all this space to innovate and break boundaries. The formula is, quite simply, a few chords, a few melodies and a hell of a lot of attitude.
The song is called stabbings and the band is called Ljud Aldrig. Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden. This is the A-side of their debut single, titled STABBINGS/JUICED, Which is a simple title for a single, It’s just the names of the songs. The songs have simple names too.. Can you see the pattern emerging?
The song is composed in its entirety of a driving drum part, an expanse of creamy keyboards, thick guitars that get progressively thicker, and a very honest vocal part courtesy of Roosen.
Roosen is a visual artist from Stockholm, Sweden on his songwriting debut. He writes, in his own words, out of a place of loneliness and the helplessness of feeling trapped in one’s own thoughts.
Judging this piece based on the merits of Roosen’s vocal qualities alone though, will do it a disservice. He’s not a very capable singer at that, and that’s where the punk part comes in, as he sings with a ton of attitude, he sings like the words mean the world to him and that it’s his mission to bring them to us. And it’s true. The lyrics deal with personal fears and what sound like situations that actually occurred to him. He did not confirm if the song is autobiographical or not, though. So we can only speculate.
The thick guitar plays a dry pattern based on two chords for the length of the song. One of the chords changes though.. And that’s the chorus for you. The chorus is wordless. Instead of words we get a guitar that becomes dirty and massive, and a swirling wall of weedy synths that increase in intensity until they almost engulf everything near the outro.
A cacophonous piece of simple and direct music, minimal composition and a few relatable melodies. Not requiring a great deal of effort or technical prowess.. but a lot of feel, conviction and intention to carry it across. and on their debut single, Ljud Aldrig certainly delivered.