Years keep passing through and if it wasn’t obvious enough, we get no younger. We’ve lost interest, hopes, and dreams as time flies away and have to keep going on with life –that mess of a life that was spiced with some silliness to make it bearable. Well, most of us. I got too personal there. Have we lost the touch? Are we too old for this? Not quite yet I guess, we’re just too busy, and we can’t keep two-timing forever. We need the money.
During this period of silence in which the closest thing to prose I wrote were sporadic work emails, I reached a point where I just felt like I was living an eternal Monday. I’m sure we all have this feeling at one moment, but I didn’t have a way to let that out. Fortunately, the always awesome Tuberz Mcgee found the words, the chords, and the perfect rhythm to catalyze those emotions into his new album! So come with me and let’s take a look over ‘Tuberz McGee and the Sudden Realisation that his Life is an Endless 9-5 Grind’.
‘Tuberz McGee and the Sudden Realisation that his Life is an Endless 9-5 Grind’ is the third full-length album by the Brisbanite band and one of the most promising projects for the scene this year. Using his wide musical knowledge and all of his virtuosity, Tuberz Mcgee delivers a well-balanced album with a good dose of awareness and fun. Before we delve into this wonderful music, I want to make a little disclaimer. I like the lyrics a lot, so I’ll directly quote some of them below. I’d recommend clicking that play button as soon as possible to avoid any spoilers. Once said that, let’s go!
We’re just 12 days into 2024 and I’ve got my favorite song of the year already. ‘I’m tired’ is a hymn to every artist who has to combine a dayjob with their crafting and the perfect opening for this work as it perfectly reflects the album’s title feel. The bright start with a catchy riff using a pulse wave sets off the energy and acts as a pivot for what’s next: a blast of power. Making smart use of chip instruments as a support for the guitar, bass, and drums gets this wonderful combination to move smoothly without lessening the protagonism to the vocals when mixed. Something worth noting is the role of the chip elements. As stated before, they play mostly a backing part, but their presence is strong, the melodies are as sweet as sugar, and their complexity is stunning.
Coming down to the lyrics, they’re clever and fit the theme complementing the musical development – having moments in which is inevitable not to identify with it. It’s just too real. There’s nothing I can say without making it sound over-analytical, so I’ll share my favorite line. It just hits home.
“I know your dreams have passed you by, but that’s not me. ‘Cause when I get from work, I want to sleep in my bed. I say I’ll write a new song, but there’s tomorrow instead.”
Satire is a challenging genre, especially nowadays. However, Tuberz Mcgee nails writing a delightful piece of music merging the cruel reality of the world with straightforward wording exposing which, in my opinion, is one of the most uncomfortable trues of this life. The song’s structure itself is as interesting as the lyrical content. Even when it’s easy to listen to it, it has a lot of twists and wrinkles in both, harmony and musical architecture taking the classic Pop Punk to the next level. For starters, the bridges, verse, and pre-chorus parts have multiple rhythmic layers building a robust upbeat sensation and giving the choruses an ecstatic, and pleasant, sensation. That positive mood reinforces this track’s intention making it brightly contrast with the meaning behind the song. All of that is topped with a neat piano solo by Fin’s Contingency Plan. That’s what I call a genius song planning.
Lastly, I have to admit that listening to ‘Go For Your Dreams (Maybe Not You)’ at your workspace for a faceless company hits differently, particularly if you take into consideration these lines:
“You’ll get a raise, you’ll be a manager yet. Don’t get ahead of yourself, egos in check. You could do anything, so do a little less.”
Depicting any emotion is a difficult endeavor, that’s what makes art special. It’s the conjunction of technique, experience, and sensibility the only way to reach other human beings’ hearts. ‘(Not) Over You’ tells, from the very start, a story of longing and acceptance of the inevitable. The opening conversation between two pulse waves gives us a glance at the tone of the song. As the composition moves forward, we can appreciate a simple, yet effective, use of instrumentation to enhance the weight of each word. Some people could think this theme is a cliché, but when you articulate it in this way, it overpasses any commonplace and speaks directly to you.
The opening melody returns at 3:02, but there’s something different, something that adds emotional depth and, why not say it, damage. Because, after all, this is an emotional song, not a sad one. Of course, there’s a bit of sadness in the acknowledgment of certain situations, but there’s also an inherent hope. The hope of being able to say:
“I’m not over you, I’m over not being over you.”
When speaking from the deepest part of their soul, most people fear not being heard. Overcoming the anxiety and pressure of being judged by the masses it’s not easy. We all have a hidden motivation, something or someone who doesn’t let us give up. When it comes to a role model, they’re any kind of style, shape, and size. ‘Rat’ is the album’s serious introspection about life choices. Something that drew my attention was the harmony used on the vocals. They may sound flat, or even monotonous, at a first listen. However, as the bars keep playing, you can feel the passion and warmth. He’s singing his heart out but in a discrete way. It makes you feel the decisiveness and the motivation. As for the rodent in question, I wish I was as cool as him.
“And I told myself it’s OK, ‘cause one day I’ll be like you. Except maybe not a rat and not cooking like you.”
After all that happened during the past three and half years, I couldn’t listen to Chipmusic the same way I used to. It wasn’t just apathy or plain disenchantment, something was missing for me. However, this album made me reconnect with my inner nerd and gave me back some of the things I thought were lost for good. It has all the classic flavor of the good ol’ NES seasoned with bright lyrics with meaning. It is all I remember of the scene and even more. All the genius, the playfulness, the hard work, the goofiness, and the passion I recall are there. Just like a madeleine de Proust, keeping the recipe intact enough to make us all shed a tear of joy when we take a little bite.
Despite the fact my words can be taken as a simple call for nostalgia and could seem to take away the author’s true meaning of this work, I want to invite you to take a second listen and tell me, don’t you feel the same way? Even if most of our lives are merely an endless 9-5 grind, I’m glad I can still have little moments of true happiness through something I used to enjoy… something I still enjoy.
To wrap up this article I want to say that every song from this album is high quality content. Music and lyrics work perfectly on their own, but when you put them together is just magic. It was hard to pick just 4 songs. To finish in a high note, I’d like to quote the fabulous song ‘Garbage Man‘, because it summarizes something I actually say to myself at least once a day and that, taking it out of context, it summarizes the reason I haven’t given up yet:
“I’m an asshole, just not that kind of asshole.”
Thank you so much for sticking with me in this year’s first review. I have plans to keep doing this, so, if you have any recommendations for new music, please, hit me up! I’ll be more than happy to take a listen and write something! Let’s share what we are doing, just like we used to.
I’ll see you next time.
Tuberz Mcgee
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A Square Meal 