Minnesota trio Tiny Moving Parts have our Track Of The Day today. In writing this, I tried to fact check by pinning down the band’s official genre, before giving up in the face of too many options. Clearly the musical flavours that Dylan Mattheisen (guitar/vocals), Matthew Chevalier (bass/vocals), and Billy Chevalier (drums) have historically explored are broad and varied. Regardless, the pop punk/emo/math rock/post-hardcore band released “Caution” last week, and we love it.
The title of “Caution” ties into the ‘the caution tape that you’ve wrapped around my brain’ lyric, seeming to reflect the mental gymnastics that are going on here for the character of the story that’s told with warmth of sound and honest vocals. That combination is immediately endearing and despite being new to the band, I found myself drawn in to wherever this is going.
Is “Caution” about someone trying to find acceptance? Trying to make sense of things (pointlessly)? Trying to say goodbye? Or maybe refusing to, even though it seems inevitable?
“Caution” feels like being tangled up in what makes no clear sense, and the guitar interludes, drum breaks as well as the thinking-out-loud and ‘note to self’ style of lyrics reflect that.
“I miss myself too much, so please don’t wake me up”
In what is progressively more and more raw expression, it seems like they’re more desperately wanting to no longer be plagued by the experience they’re in. They’re pinning their hopes on a break from this, even if ‘this’ is themselves and their own mind. While they don’t want to think, they’re seeming to be stuck in frustrating analysis, and seeming to be passionately seeking and breaking all at once.
As a female voice shows up, the entire track softens and feels more like dreamy reminiscing as opposed to agonised wrestling. A soaring ending with an affirmation that all they have is patience seems at odds with a return to the partially unhinged sounding request for ‘a slight break’. The ‘caution’ doubling as a warning that they can’t keep waiting forever.
What do you make of “Caution”?
