Category: Music

In Beach Bunny’s popular music, a powerful indie-rock sound propels lyrics of heartbreak and defiance that feel honest, vivid, vulnerable, and grounded. Their newest EP, Blame Game, is based in this characteristic and well-loved sound, but it also branches out in a new and exciting direction. In previous releases, lead singer and songwriter Lili Trifilio has tested the waters with social commentary by addressing the tension between Eurocentric beauty standards and her personal quest for love. In Blame Game, however, she takes on a bolder tone as she names and condemns broader societal norms surrounding victim-blaming and toxic masculinity. 

The title of the first track, “Good Girls (Don’t Get Used),” plays with the idea of gendered expectations for romantic relationships, relieving women of the pressure to be a “good girl” and instead calling out toxic masculinity. The track begins powerfully with just bass, percussion, and Trifilio’s brazen lyrics. She resists the idea that her emotions are frivolous and can be ignored in order to satisfy her partner. The lyrics do not include raging insults or ill wishes, but rather, they address patterns of dishonesty in romantic relationships. As the song progresses, Trifilio takes control of her situation by drawing attention to her partner’s immaturity and insincerity, asserting that she’s tired of “fuckboy” culture and she’ll no longer fall for empty promises. 

Featuring some of the catchiest rock instrumentals on the EP, “Love Sick” turns inward. A deeply introspective track, “Love Sick” explores Trifilio’s insecurities regarding romance. With vulnerability and clarity, Trifilio expresses an intense emotional exhaustion as she sings, “I’m getting tired of breaking and healing / I’m getting sick of patching myself up.”

“Nice Guys,” features oscillating major and minor harmonies along with bright, powerful chords that make the track a truly intriguing listen. Certain lines stand out as edgy and humorous, like “If your ego had a zip code, it would be a whole state wide,” but overall, you can feel that Trifilio’s exhaustion present in the previous two tracks is also present here. She is drained from pouring her heart into people who put on a façade of kindness but don’t genuinely have feelings for her. “Nice Guys” is a call for sincerity, a call for “someone who actually wears hearts inside their eyes.”

The final and title track of the EP, “Blame Game” tackles deeply-rooted sexism in American society. The lyrics speak to experiences not so different from high school dress codes, for example, where teachers might tell young women to cover their shoulders as not to distract the boys. Trifilio addresses these sexist, heteronomative expectations head-on. With a thick layer of sarcasm, the chorus reads, “Guess it’s my fault my body’s fun to stare at / Sorry my clothes can’t keep your hands from grabbing / Yeah, it’s my problem, I’m asking for it / Guess you’re the victim and I’m the suspect.” As a society, we’ve normalized blaming women when they’re the victims of unwanted sexual advances, claiming their physical appearances warrant abuse. “Blame Game” thoughtfully questions these norms and uplifts the experiences of victims, empowering all womxn to love their bodies thoroughly and without guilt.   

Trifilio and her other amazing band-members have put together a jam-packed EP; I definitely recommend giving Blame Game a listen!

Tank and the Bangas just dropped a quarantine EP that hits close to home as we round up the final month of 2020. In just 21 minutes, Friend Goals brings us through a journey of funk, hip-hop, soul, jazz, and spoken word that speaks to experiences many of us have shared over the past year. While Friend Goals directly addresses COVID loneliness, its upbeat dance mood and theme of self-love breathes fresh air into a dreary time.

I first heard Tank and the Bangas on a Tiny Desk concert and was mesmerized by the band’s creativity and versatility. This New Orleans group has a way of blending playfulness and soulfulness in a way that feels like it shouldn’t work, and yet works so well. They are led by Tarriona “Tank” Ball, whose emotion and vocal expression give the group its characteristic energy and adventurousness. 

In most of the band’s music, including Friend Goals, Ball alternates between a voice that sounds resonant and impassioned, and one that sounds more animated and lively. I’ve never heard vocal performance quite like hers before, nor have I heard an artist boldly weave poetry into music like she does. The way she moves seamlessly between all of these techniques is fascinating to me. 

The EP’s second track, “Self Care,” is the quintessential quarantine bop we all need. It is not necessarily a happy song; rather, its lyrics convey relatable feelings of frustration and loneliness while simultaneously encouraging acceptance and self-love. The lines, “Feeling lonely I mean it / Seen the shadows I seen it / Tryna find the meaning” address the introspective loneliness born from solitude that many of us have experienced over the past nine months. The lyrics also acknowledge that sometimes it’s hard not to do things like call up your ex and relish in the familiarity and comfort of past happiness. However, that’s not all the song does. While recognizing that taking care of yourself can be difficult right now, “Self Care” wants you to embrace it. The track features a handful of vocalists in addition to Ball, including Jaime Woods, Orleans Big, and Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, and they all sing with a strong energy that feels empowering to the listener. The last line, “I’m ready to get myself back” emphasizes acceptance and appreciation of oneself. 

Altogether, it’s a song that holds a lot of different emotions, and like the lyrics, the music also taps into several moods. The opening features a penny whistle melody that repeats throughout the whole track and feels almost eerie. Yet, when the beat drops, you can’t stop your head from nodding along to the upbeat rhythm. “Self Care” is a complex song for a complex year.

As a whole, the EP sounds like a patchwork of thoughts. “Mr. Insta” underscores our social media obsessed culture through a rumination on online fame and its discouraging downfalls. On “Friend Goals,” Ball incorporates storytelling of childhood memories and delivers her bars with an animated vocal expression. These techniques uplift her message about the rarity and joy of long-lasting, meaningful friendship. 

This EP is an exploration of different corners of emotion and musical genre. Though brief, it feels deeply honest.