Chicago based pop-punk overloads Belmont have continued their rocket-like trajectory towards riff royalty with the release of a new single and music video to coincide with the release of their debut self-titled album Belmont.
After signing to Chicago based label, Mutant League Records, which is also home to Australia’s own Ambleside and Vacant Home, the band released certified bops “Hollowed Out”, “Albert”, and “Interlude (feat. Shinigami)” before blessing ears with the new single- “Pushing Daisies”. Coupled with an energetic music video that truly encapsulates the Belmont spirit, this new track is two minutes and forty-nine seconds of revitalising and punchy pop-punk that will leave listeners doing anything but pushing up daisies.
The visuals are the bread and butter staples of the genre; there’s a bedroom, a blunt, not without an accompanying boogie and boy, do Belmont deliver. Unlike some of their genre counterparts that search for deeper meaning in their music videos, this music video is a cut to the chase celebration of five friends creating songs for their own enjoyment, the inescapable presence of band merchandise littered throughout the video building the homely atmosphere that the band’s fans would find most comforting.
Just as the music video solidifies, “Pushing Daisies” is a culmination of everything that Belmont do well. Fading in slowly, the song lulls listeners into a false sense of security before belting into a beautifully blended instrumental that hits harder than Thanos wielding the infinity gauntlet. The introduction of frontman Taz Johnson’s vocals offer no reprieve, the roughness echoing through listeners before the one-two punch of the lyrics “switch up don’t wait up, I’m sick and tired of this bad luck, won’t let up”, hammers those fortunate enough to listen into submission.
Lyrically, “Pushing Daisies” presents a concept not foreign to the pop punk genre. It is self-deprecating and punishing, an ode to the failure of not being able to reach what you’ve been striving to gain. Captured most clearly in lines like “My feet are kicking but it’s no use, I’m seduced by my own self-abuse”, the song is exceptionally critical, the vocal tones coming across frustrated and angry as the pain of one’s own inability to grow catches up and eats away at you. It is a memoir to stagnating, to pushing daisies because the weight of the world is often too much.
Whilst gritty and hard-hitting, it remains articulate and technical, blending bouncy choruses and beautiful riffs with wild verses that give listeners no opportunity to breathe. With the inclusion of a breakdown in typical Belmont fashion, the only option for listeners is to worship the excellent musicianship that has launched the five-piece into scene stardom.
Belmont are: Taz Johnson (vocals), Brian Lada (drums), Sam Patt (guitar/backing vocals), Alex Wieringa (bass) and Jason Inguagiato (guitar).
Check out “Pushing Daisies” via YouTube here:
“Pushing Daisies” is the fourth single off Belmont’s self-titled LP, out now via Mutant League Records. The record is available through all good streaming stores, and you can pick up a copy here: http://www.victorymerch.com/store/belmont
