First Impressions are whiz-bang reviews of singles, 7″s, EPs, and LPs which are given a review after a single listen. This is a great way for TGEFM to showcase some of the releases which may not get a full review on their own.
Self-released, 25 Dec 2022
As previously reported, a new day has arrived and with it a new Grim Deeds song. I write about Deeds' music enough that I'm not going to go into some lengthy intro – instead, straight to my thoughts on the song.
Behind a galloping beat and fun pop punk guitars lies a sort of country heart and some thoughtful and insightful lyrics courtesy of Deeds' dad, Emmett (who passed a little over a year ago). The country heart of the song lies in the depressive / melancholy melody, which, for whatever reason, sounds like a melody from a throwback traditional country song. Even the backing vocals that show up give off this vibe. I don't know if there's intentionality behind this or not (I'm suspecting there is), but it works for me and the song embodies the everyman spirit of traditional country – “populist punk”, if you will. As for the lyrics, lines like “I see the souls, I see the teeth, I see the spirit, that lies beneath”, “my past a lie, my story false, I paid my price, too much the cost”, and “the game we play, the act we give, it's not the way, that we should live” are loaded with meaning and sentiment. I've always been enamored with Deeds' lyrics, and now I see that thoughtfulness and existential reckoning didn't come outta nowhere.
Above the lyrics on the Bandcamp page where this song is found, Deeds just has the word “Closure.” I suspect that's what this is for him, and “I See the Souls” is a powerful way of getting there.
- Song Comes From: standalone single
- Purchase/Pre-Order/Pre-Save: Bandcamp
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ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He's very secretive, he might be an alien.