An Intense And Brutally Honest New Single From Die Shiny
An elegantly intense new single from Die Shiny manages to wrap up so much relatable inner thought process within one track that almost anyone of a certain age can immediately connect with it.
This is a song about life in this country. The trials and tribulations, the wants, needs, and regrets that many of us have. It's about trying to navigate life in general, and how difficult it can be because we're pulled left and right; we need to begin thinking more critically and figuring out where we are, why we're there, and what we're doing.
A lot of it feels like a song about purpose. It beckons so much feeling and emotion brought on by some of the stresses we all have, but it also shines a light at the end of the tunnel. It shows us a certain way, but we have to crawl through the barrage of thoughts that come at us as we try to figure things out.
Are we right? Are we wrong? Do we question things?
This country, life in general, just being human, can be pretty scary. This is a single that wraps all of this up and portrays it in such a beautiful way that it's easy to get engulfed in.
This, of course, is how I interpreted the song. Others may take it a little differently, but for me it was right there in front of my face.
Now, this single is unique in its musical approach as well. It's got a gorgeous sort of theatrical approach, leaning on vocal layers and harmonies to give it depth, with a main vocal that delivers that set of intensities, rising and falling back again, giving the song the feeling of being alive and breathing.
Again, a lot of this is lyrically in-depth. It does go through a lot and gives you plenty to chew on; it's music for thought, and it requires a few listens in a row to really catch every single thing.
I found it mind-boggling how much vocalist and songwriter Callie Crofts went through in terms of laying out those lyrics, and doing so in such a depictive manner.
She gives off such detail, and as the song unfolds, she gets more intense, as do the lyrics.
The song has a great way of growing. It comes in with melodic vocal harmonies that are smooth and flowing, and as the song builds up, you hear heavy-handed drum beats and these ambient synthesizers that start building the atmosphere even more.
The backing vocals feel almost like a choir at times. The way they are put together and flow with the main vocal track is sort of graceful.
But, as I said at the start, this whole track displays a certain kind of Elegance, but at the same time doesn't hold back, gets a little heavy-handed where it wants to, and can feel closed-fisted because it goes through this range of emotion as it plays on.
Many would consider this to be a sort of cinematic dream-pop, but there's more than that to it.
It speaks many truths, and again, listening to it a few times really gives you the full picture. This is because she pays a lot of attention to the little details when it comes to the lyrics.
Her lyrical phrasing is even pretty outstanding. The way she bounces and fits segments between those beats does indeed give them certain elements of theatrical backbone, pushing them forward and pouring out that emotional aesthetic.
It's also spirited. The song showcases how we can sort of break free from our cages. A lot of us just go through life doing what we're told, not even knowing who the people are that are telling us what to do.
The track is called "Gold Star, Good Citizen", and the accompanying music video is choreographed in a wonderfully woven way, managing to display a lot of the emotion behind the lyrics and letting you really pay attention to everything that's going on on a deeper level.
It's kind of rare that you have such a uniquely approached music video that displays the same kind of intensity that the song itself does.
I suggest watching the video the first time you listen to the song. But I'll say it one last time: listening to the song more than once is really key.
So, take a deep dive into this deep-thinking, brutally honest, and robust pop single and see how it affects you.
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