By Alexander Lopez, jrn 101 student
This funeral is just the start of the party for Destroy Boys.
Funeral Soundtrack #4 is their latest iteration and rebirth, miles away from their debut album, Sorry, Mom, which focuses on lighter, intangible problems. They’re still punk rockers, maybe even punkier now. They have learned how to articulate exactly what is wrong. Like the album’s cover art, the songs are an amalgamation of different styles done well, grounded in experience and passion.
The album’s first song “Bad Guy” sounds like acid burning a hole in your chest. “I wanna spit on your face,” seethes lead singer Alexia Roditis. These are the very first words of the song and album. The song continues with anger and frustration slipping through their fingers. Lyrics echo against stripped-down instrumentals that allow the vocals to shine bright.
Eventually, they reach a breaking point. The guitar and drums reach a crescendo as Roditis finally snaps, “You’re so fucking entitled” and promises “You’ll be the bad guy one day / Just wait.” The lyrics encapsulate the feeling that we’re all familiar with: being made out as the “bad guy” when we haven’t done anything wrong.
“Plucked” is similarly biting, with a slightly different sound than Destroy Boy fans might be used to.
It leans into a pop melody with rising and falling “ahhh-ahhh”s, a bubblier instrumentation, and a new synthesizer. The indulgent sound contrasts with sarcastic and bitter lyrics like “But we don’t have a choice / We’re kind of on paper.” It makes for a catchy tune that’s hard to get out of your head.
The jaded song is an ode to a topic that many people might find familiar: burnout. Specifically, burnout from an art that you thought would be your lifelong passion. “Take a bird out the sky / When she wants to fly” refers to the expectations that are set when following that passion ends up stunting it. It perfectly captures the feeling that your life is over and there’s nothing you can really do about it.
However, the album isn’t entirely crashing drums and intense vocals. Songs like “Amor Divino” showcase the range of the lead singer and the band in general, with the tone significantly softening. Soft, bright harp notes twinkle in the background as Roditis’ warm voice echoes through the song.
The song, entirely sung in Spanish, is about a painful longing. It begins with the realization that the relationship has failed to grow but still hangs onto hope that it can be saved. There’s no rage or frustration here, only the genuine wish for a more perfect relationship. The vocals are dreamy and light like the lyrics, giving the listener a break before the next song.
The album taps into a well-known cornerstone of punk: rejecting the establishment. On “Praying,” Roditis and bandmate Violet Mayugba create a raw testament to what it’s like being a woman in society, “just appeasing to the male gaze” and feeling stupid for it.
The rage reaches a flash point in “You Hear Yes,” a standout on the album. The song features the lead singers from Mannequin Pussy and Scowl, two bands prominent in the riot grrrl genre. It doesn’t pull any punches, snarling “All I ask for is respect” at the beginning. It mixes serious complaints like being followed home with small ones like not having pockets, demonstrating the countless issues women face every day.
It’s one of the more hardcore songs, both emotionally and musically. The vocals are fierce and screaming, with the singers barely taking in air between the lyrics. The whole song feels breathless and real, like the words have simply poured out of the singers. This song doesn’t want to just be heard, it wants to be listened to and understood.
This album is a new relentless version of Destroy Boys that promises to keep going. They’ve been comfortable enough musically that they’re able to visit new genres, putting their own spin on them. They’re able to do it well, too, and never drop the ball even when going from punk to pop.
The album’s name is deceiving. There’s nothing dead here. It’s punchy and in-your-face, and entirely still alive.
Velocity 
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