The UK punk music scene has surely been disrupted with Daffodildos’ latest single release, What’s Your Excuse? This is by no means a track for the average consumer, and this is not really a surprise as punk music has never been the genre to be considered for the average listener. This track highlights one of the most controversial issues in our modern world, which is animals’ rights.
Off-course one the first thing that pops into one’s mind are veganism, vegetarianism, and without a doubt the impact of our modern-life animal meat consumption on our critical global warming situation, which are absolutely valid and important issues that should definitely be highlighted. The band has surely put that into light, but one cannot really deny the fact that the song can come a little as an attack more than an invitation to rethink and reconsider one’s personal choices and views. After all, following a certain diet, lifestyle, or belief is by no means a collective decision. And yes, animal consumption might have certain effects on climate change and global warming but we need to be a little bit objective and consider other factors as well that might be the result of our capitalism-driven world.
The first few lines of the song are a great way to dive right into the topic, “Where would you get your protein from? But I don’t like vegetables! What about bacon?” These lines are a great way to get right into the core of the message, but it can leave the listener a little bit under the impression of being attacked and automatically getting subconsciously defensive. There is no attempt to deny that these questions and statements are coming right out of our reality, but questioning people’s own choices and philosophies is a bit tricky, and maybe a more conversational or inviting approach would probably be more accepted by a non-vegan or a non-vegetarian. After all, nobody likes to be called an “abuser.”
The song structure, however, is quite impressive. The whole vibe and tone of the song perfectly portrays the band’s emotions towards the matter. It is infuriating when one sees something that goes completely against his beliefs and others cannot see it, and the worst part is that it might also be affecting everyone else. The opening drum beat and the driven bass line are a great way to highlight the urgency of action when it comes to the matter. Starting with highlighting the sound of the bass also adds an element of seriousness and depth to the opening of this song, which perfectly mirrors the importance of the topic being presented and discussed.
Daffodildos have surely presented us with quite a controversial single release. What’s Your Excuse? Take us back to the 19th-century intellectuals when the term “Art for Art’s Sake” was circulating and questioning whether art should be judged purely on its own terms. In other words, according to whether or not it is beautiful, capable of inducing ecstasy or reverie in the viewer thoughts; or whether art has an inherent value independent of its subject-matter, or of any social, political, or ethical significance. A straightforward answer to this question is even harder to deliver nowadays. But if Daffodildos’ mainly wanted to shed light on an important issue to remind people and get them talking, then they definitely succeeded. However, if their main objective was to bring those who are still not on the veganism/ vegetarianism and animal rights front to the other, we might need to think about that twice.
