The beautiful thing about music is that there really aren’t any rules. A multitude of things which shouldn’t work together in theory actually do in reality. Tarah Who? continue to illustrate that point with their blend of grunge and punk in new single ‘Swallow That Pill’.
Following from previous release ‘Pantomath’, the French duo Tarah Carpenter (vocals & guitar) and Coralie Herve (drums) wanted to follow the same “fun and light vibes” but also add the spice of frustration toward every day life and the stressors it contains. The droning of the guitar conveys the feeling of churning around in the quagmire of a situation you hate… yet you tolerate it out of necessity. We’ve all been there, stuck in the rut of ‘Metro, boulot, dodo’ (subway, work, sleep) and repeat.
The repression of grunge and the chaotic energy of punk collide as Tarah’s confrontational lyrics and aggressive delivery ask ‘Where did it get you, to be so kind?/ Where did it get you to waste your time?’ as she reminisces about an old co-worker who worked her fingers to the bone to be a “perfect employee,” only for the employer to not renew her contract when the time came. In the second verse, Tarah pulls no punches in talking about work place toxicity being accepted because you feel like you have no other choice; ‘It’s called harassment, you don’t say anything’.
In this seeming monologue of misery, it serves the song well to have no stand out moments in terms of a guitar solo or a change in drum pace as the message of ‘break the cycle’ is hammered home. However, the duo recognised the importance of having their own auditory cycle broken and this was done with the introduction of a theremin. This relaxing Parisian bridge seeks to break up the song from wallowing in misery to “something has to change”. The chaos of the pair’s punk influence punctuates the closure of the song, obliterating the Groundhog Day energies ‘Before the habit of being bored, slowly kills your soul’.
If you’re in need of something to help you break free from your own musical rut, ‘Swallow That Pill’ is available now on iTunes and Spotify. For the latest news from Tarah Who?, including more information about the release of upcoming album Exposed on April 9, you can either visit their website or follow their social medias linked below.
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