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Title: “Pop Culture x Hungry Vulture”
Artist: Riot! in the Boulevard
Album: “Young Cardinals” (2017)
Release Date: May 6, 2017
Length: 3:58
Format: CD Single, Digital Download, Weekly Airplay, 7” Single
Recorded: January 2017 - Village Studios - Los Angeles, California, USA
Genre: Alternative Rock, Pop-Punk
Label: Studio60 Records
Written: December 2016
Writer(s): Amy Meyer
Producer(s): Riot! in the Boulevard, Cara Zayn
“Pop Culture x Hungry Vulture” is a track released by the Las Vegas based rock trio, 'Riot! in the Boulevard', taken from their upcoming sixth studio album “Young Cardinals”, the song will be released as the third single from the record and will mark the twenty-second single release in the bands entire career so far. It follows on from the two previous singles released in preparation for their album release, “Asylum” debuted back in August 2016 and went on to peak at number one, marking their eighth number one single in their career and then “Swinging for the Fences” arrived in February of this year and peaked at number two on the charts, marking their sixth single to reach that peak on the Weekly Airplay charts. With the release of this latest single, it's expected that we can see a lot more activity from the band in preparation for their upcoming sixth record “Young Cardinals” as they've already teased it as an epic twenty-two track album. It's already been reported that the band are going to be overly ambitious with this release, meaning that we're likely to see a huge influx of singles released prior to the record and a lot more promotion from the band that has often preferred to let the music do their talking for them.
This track in particular was written solely by lead singer 'Amy Meyer' and is considered to be a light-hearted view on the trappings of a young career in a difficult industry like the music one that Amy herself has experienced, “Looking at the music that was recorded for the album, I've noticed that all three of us have become quite nostalgic in the songs that we've written. I don't know if it's a growing up thing or whether it's us all subconsciously accepting that this will be the final record together for quite some time. I mean we open up with the line, 'Six years is a long time to be surrounded by chaos and be the face of sanity' and I think that line alone, kinda sums up how I've certainly felt ever since our band broke out and I know that the guys definitely related to that lyric on a strong level too. It's not an easy industry to get into in the first place, let alone find any semblance of success. I think your personality often dictates where you go, even more so than raw talent does. For example, the five of us that started this band understood and embraced the nomadic existence. At least for the first three years or so, we barely stopped to breathe and it had such a negative effect on all of us. It was incredible because of what it brought, but it was devastating for what it did to a lot of our relationships not only with each other, but with the people that we knew and loved before being in this crazy business. I think young people entering this lifestyle need to know that you are going to lose some of your closest relationships. So if you decide to go for it, you've really truly gotta want it.”
This track was written in December 2016 at a period when the trio were on downtime and back home with friends and family, unsure of what their next step was, the lyrics penned entirely by Amy Meyer and a basic music structure created on keyboards were the catalyst for the song. Of course upon entering the studio, the song was worked on as a band but the lyrics remained unchanged from the version Amy wrote at her home in California. The song was then recorded when the band decided to return to the recording studios and work on a new record or just a bunch of new songs at the time with the record still in doubt depending on the feelings from everybody involved. This was done in January at Village Studios in Los Angeles, California and produced by the band alongside Cara Zayn and later their long-time friend and record producer/songwriter Christian Fallon joined in on production of the record with this being one of the first tracks he had input on. The track was completed relatively quickly and was seen as a potential single. The band came to the agreement to follow up “Swinging for the Fences” with this track as they have a similar industry directed lyrical theme but the contrast between the two was enough that they felt the two should be released back to back. The track will be released through Studio60 Records as a CD Single, Digital Download, 7” Single and will be made available to Weekly Airplay from May 6, 2017.
SONG DESCRIPTION;
The song begins with an electronic feeling, the combination of keyboards and synthesizers adding a more modern element to the traditionally pop-punk groups arsenal. It feels like a cavalcade of differing noises but that is all by design as it's to set up the opening lyrics of the song and the theme of the craziness of the music industry, Amy sings in a higher falsetto than she usually tackles, a couple of notches up from her traditionally aggressive pop-punk style but it works, you can tell that the voice is the same, it's just clear that she is showing off a different range for herself as she delivers the opening verse, “Six years is a long time to be surrounded by chaos and be the face of sanity/It’s like the world went insane and yet we maintained our normality/But the cracks started to show in the months gone by/And they locked us away and never told us whyAnd we’re shackled and confined to the four walls that consume us/Camera’s all around so the whole world can look at us/I guess we’re just freaks/Freaks at a circus.” and every time she says the word freaks, the sound of her vocal changes, modified by the technology inside of the recording studios. It's done for effect, specifically on that word.
The chorus arrives quite quickly in this one, a callback to the traditional Riot! elements as many of their fans will remember that the entirety of their debut record was based around catchy choruses and therefore they made sure they got to those choruses as quickly as possible. It feels very similar in the way that they have structure this song and as the chorus hits, we're also given the first taste of the lead and bass guitars as well as the drumming backbeat of the song. The guitars are sounded at a higher pitch for this song and clearly again by design, but it's the anthemic nature of the chorus that sets this song off as Amy sings out again in a higher key, “ Hey kid/Didn't you think that this is where you always wanted to be?/In this messed up place called pop culture/Where they watch em' eat you up like a hungry vulture/Hey kid/Didn't you/think that this is where you always wanted to be?/In this messed up place called pop culture/Where they watch em' eat you up like a hungry vulture.”
As we reach the second verse, the song is a crowded experience and feels a little congested but it's fascinating to see the band try something completely new for them and sort of show that they are evolving with the changing musical landscape. It subconsciously ponders the question about whether there is still a place for traditional rock music in the mainstream and Riot! Bringing a small element of electronic music to their own roots based pop-punk that they've always done seems to indicate that they need to manoeuvre away from the genre ever so slightly. However, guitars and drums are still being highlighted strongly within this song and the beat softens a little for the second verse as Amy shares her views of the industry, “ Flashing lights and glimmering shines/Enough to make even the most normal souls go wild/And ain’t it funny how quickly stories become gospel in this place/They print these words without a seconds thought/If only they’d know how difficult it can be to even consider showing your face/In this messed up place called pop culture/Where they watch em’ eat you up/Like a hungry vulture.” and it's that second verse that seems to have some serious venom behind it as it feels personally directed to the media obsession with celebrity culture that whether you like it or not has become a main player in the success of an artist or group. We're then met with another variation of the chorus once more before a short pre-chorus and the song returns back to the chorus before it fades out.
LYRICS;
“Six years is a long time to be surrounded by chaos and be the face of sanity
It’s like the world went insane and yet we maintained our normality
But the cracks started to show in the months gone by
And they locked us away and never told us why
And we’re shackled and confined to the four walls that consume us
Camera’s all around so the whole world can look at us
I guess we’re just freaks
Freaks at a circus
Hey kid
Didn't you think that this is where you always wanted to be?
In this messed up place called pop culture
Where they watch em' eat you up like a hungry vulture
Hey kid
Didn't you think that this is where you always wanted to be?
In this messed up place called pop culture
Where they watch em' eat you up like a hungry vulture
Flashing lights and glimmering shines
Enough to make even the most normal souls go wild
And ain’t it funny how quickly stories become gospel in this place
They print these words without a seconds thought
If only they’d know how difficult it can be to even consider showing your face
In this messed up place called pop culture
Where they watch em’ eat you up
Like a hungry vulture
Hey kid
Didn't you think that this is where you always wanted to be?
In this messed up place called pop culture
Where they watch em' eat you up like a hungry vulture
Hey kid
Didn't you think that this is where you always wanted to be?
In this messed up place called pop culture
Where they watch em' eat you up like a hungry vulture
Faces plastered on magazines
Picking apart your deepest insecurities behind iPhone screens
Vintage clothing all for free
If you're willing to sell your story on TV
Didn't you think that this is where you always wanted to be?
In this messed up place called pop culture
Where they watch em' eat you up like a hungry vulture
Didn't you think that this is where you always wanted to be?
In this messed up place called pop culture
Where they watch em' eat you up like a hungry vulture”
PERSONNEL;
Amy Meyer – lead vocals, keyboards, lyrics, composition, production
Adam Benjamin – lead guitar, synthesizers, backing vocals, composition, production
Jason Greenberg – bass guitar, composition, production
Billie Langdon – drums, percussion
Cara Zayn – production, mixing, engineering
Christian Fallon – production, mixing
SOUNDALIKE;
Panic! at the Disco - “Emperor's New Clothes”
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