Firing At Statues – “Anxiety”

Firing At Statues – “Anxiety” – Single Review

Alrighty…so…we’re still about a week or so removed from hearing Glasgow’s Firing At Statues for the first time, and I suppose it’s fair to assume that most of the things I had to say about’em would still apply given that a week ain’t really all that much time to make any changes & chances are this new song was already recorded by the point that I reviewed the last one.  It’d be a little strange to hear a massive amount of growth in between checking out “Father Of The Year” and their latest cut “Anxiety,” but I have no problem having a listen to see what these Pop-Punksters are up to now.  Besides, they’ve got a new animated video to support “Anxiety,” and it just so happens that I love cartoons in pretty much all forms…so let’s see what we’ve got here, and how this single shapes up for this band based way across the map from us, over in Scotland.

“It still sucks to be me.”  Ain’t that the truth!  I mean…you know…after we internalize these words and make’em our own.  It always sucks to be me!  I’m not saying that it sucks to be the people in Firing At Statues…maybe it does, that’s what they’re at least implying in the lyricism of “Anxiety” of course…but yeah…I’m talkin’ about how a sentiment like that is probably more universal than most folks realize.  Essentially, we all think we suck at certain times, and that’s likely to be true – I know firsthand I’ve sucked a whole lot in this lifetime, and I’m sure there are at least a few of you that continue to believe I still suck now.  So be it.  That’s the thing that is so hard to realize during our most depressed states while we’re trying to live life – we end up with a very myopic view that is crushingly self-centered, as if we’re the only ones out there that are experiencing some kind of hardship.  Quite frankly, it takes a lot of perseverance and evolution to pull yourself outta that mindset, but eventually you come to realize that there’s always someone that is doing worse off than you are that would literally kill to be in the position you’re in.  It doesn’t make what we’re feeling any less valid of course, and those out there that feel a certain responsibility to help the rest of the world heal by sharing their experience, tend to end up singing about it or joining the arts.  Hence we get songs like “Anxiety” and bands like Firing At Statues that are genuinely doing their best to highlight the fact that life ain’t easy, which creates relatable themes we can all commiserate along with.

We’re never alone in that regard, and there’s an incredibly long list of bands that have paved the way for Firing At Statues to be doing what they’re doing the way that they’re doing it, that proves that’s true.  Music has always played an essential role in reminding us that someone else is going through what we’re going through, and feels the way that we feel, even when it’s written from a first-person perspective like “Anxiety” is.  It’s good to have this stuff out in the open, because the only way out, is through, as they say.  I’m sure that writing a song like “Anxiety” is cathartic for Firing At Statues, and someone out there will hear this at a time they need to…ultimately, it’s nothing but a win-win in that regard.  It’s just about the best way I can think of to turn tragedy into triumph for everyone involved.

So that’s the good stuff…but the rest ain’t really all that bad either.  Do I feel like there’s a whole lot of room for Firing At Statues to establish their own sonic identity, and do things a little bit differently than those that have come before them?  Sure!  But I’m a patient man, and like I pointed out in the last review of their music, they’re still well on the early side of their career…there’s tons of time for them to sharpen their craft, refine their vision for what they want Firing At Statues to be, and figure out the best path for them to create their own space in the scene.  Both “Anxiety” and their previous track “Father Of The Year” are very much the kind of cuts that you end up putting out there when you’re still carefully & cautiously learning how to walk before you can run, but that should never be a discouraging thing whatsoever, considering that everyone out there has to start somewhere.

What I like is that they’re proving step by step that they can hold their own and that they have no issues finding their way through a song from start to finish…they’re doing that competently, and as they continue on, they’ll get more & more confident in what they do, even if they’re still singing about the various forms of “Anxiety” and depression they experience.  I also really like what they’ve got going on with their artwork and animation in their latest video too…these are the kinds of tools that will also help them create a bit of separation from the rest of what’s out there in the scene right now.  The last thing you want is to have your song come on and feel like it could be any number of bands within the genre you’re in…that’s how you go about drowning in the sea of sameness in a world that is so completely and totally filled with music that it’s a bloody miracle anyone out there gets listened to at this point.  So the more that Firing At Statues focuses on making moves that really help them establish their identity both sonically and visually, the better shape they’ll certainly be in for the long run.  Dig what they’re doing with the background vocals on “Anxiety” and I like the big drum sound they’ve got in the mix…the energy they’ve dialed into is the right gear – and the way they ramp things up around the 2:15 mark for the solo was wildly impressive too.  If anything, I might examine how to revisit that spot when playing this song live, extend it all out, and cruise to victory by really locking into that instrumental section, you know what I mean?  You could really make a moment in time like that a majorly memorable highlight from the stage and take this 3:30 tune towards an eight minute epic with the flashing lights and smoke machines and all that good stuff goin’ on…it’s something to consider at the very least.  As it stands here in its recorded version, it’s another good step forward for Firing At Statues, and didn’t feel too much like the lateral move it more likely is…it’ll be interesting to hear how these punks evolve over time for sure.

Find out more about Firing At Statues from this multi-link here:  https://linktr.ee/FiringatStatues

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