By Kavit Sumud | December 18th, 2012
I have to admit, five years into this American economic malaise, I thought there would be a greater amount of what I term “recession rock.” I’ve heard bits and pieces from artists (mostly in hip-hop), but there hasn’t been exactly a rush to define this “lost generation” of unemployed/underpaid post-grads. Which is a shame, because as Roanoke-based My Radio clearly show through “Life is a Bitch Slap,” there is plenty of material to mine in this vein.
With lyrics like “We Work the Jobs/We Make the Money/ And We’re Still Scratching Out the Rent [...] We are the Cool Kids Living on the skids” set over guitar licks with just enough grit and growl to provide some relief, My Radio’s song is a much needed track on the musical landscape. Where has this awesome working class music been in my adult life?
My Radio’s song is the perfect to soundtrack to accompany that moment when your resumes smack a wall in frustration, and you realize that even with a college degree, you’re unlikely to make more than if you didn’t have one in this economy. But if you feel that way, you can just pick yourself up, put your headphones and turn on this song; after all, what else are you going to do?
Check out their new album, Starts in the East, Falls in the West, out now.