Alice Merton channels passion and fury in “Lash Out,” an epic and irresistible self-empowering anthem encouraging us to let it all out.
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Smashing cars; wielding lightsabers; standing on desks; however you choose to lash out, make sure to do it with as much fire and drive as Alice Merton. The 24-year-old star-in-the-making channels passion and fury in “Lash Out,” an epic and irresistible self-empowering anthem encouraging all of us to embrace our inner tension, and let it all out.
I can feel it on the back of my tongue
All of the words, getting trapped in my lungs
Heavy like a stone, waiting for the river to run
Watch: “Lash Out” – Alice Merton
For someone whose life has been unlike anyone else’s, Alice Merton sure makes some emphatically relatable music. Born in Germany, Merton has called many a city “home,” moving with her family across the Atlantic and back again before turning 20. Released April 6, 2018 in the US via esteemed indie label Mom + Pop Music, her debut EP No Roots captures a range of powerful and moving emotions that tell her story without making it hers alone. The record’s infectious title track “No Roots” has become a global smash, spending two weeks at #1 on the American alternative radio charts.
But it’s the EP’s second song, “Lash Out,” that really makes us want to throw our heads back, clench our fists, and shout out loud. Alice Merton mixes charm with rage as she sings about hitting her tipping point, driven by inner turmoil as well as a formidable backbeat. Fat guitars lay an intoxicating rhythm as the drums push forever forward; their momentum is kindling to an already-raging fire. As Mertonsuccumbs to herself, it’s all we can do to hang on tight and sing along to her emotional outpouring:
I wanna lash out, I wanna let it out
‘Cause I can feel it
on the back of my tongue…
Oh, hard to hold, this fire inside me
Oh, I know, sometimes it’s frightening
Hard to hold, this fire inside me
Oh, oh, it’s not really like me
To lash out, I gotta let it out
I wanna lash out, I wanna lash out
A dance-friendly groove holds constant as Merton unleashes her wrath with pop precision. Her lyrics are smart and carefully chosen, betraying the intimate singer/songwriter lying beneath the outer explosion. Merton’s second verse hits hard and fast, dropping deep truths (everything is nothing ’til you realise it’s something you want) while furthering her case for letting loose – if only every once in a while:
I’ve got something to say
Might start a riot
Rip that tape from my mouth
I won’t be quiet
Cause everything is nothing
‘Til you realise it’s something you want
Released today, 5/30/2018 via Merton’s own label Paper Plane Records International and Mom + Pop Music, the “Lash Out” music video captures the song’s relentless spirit. Three scenarios are presented to us, each one offering that sweet and cathartic physical release: First, there’s Alice Merton herself smashing cars and pouncing on roofs with a baseball bat. Next, there’s the young boy standing up to his teacher in class, literally getting on top of his desk in a cinematic act of defiance. Finally, there’s the young waitress grabbing a neon light and wielding it like a lightsaber, creating a mess in the restaurant’s kitchen before taking to the streets.
No music video is complete without a well-placed coordinated dance – and “Lash Out” has two! After Merton and a crew of dancers bust a move atop a sea of cars, the schoolboy breaks it down as his peers cheer him on. These scenes are a nod to what this song is ultimately all about: Empowerment, passion, and knowing your worth.
“Lash Out” is the kind of song that comes from deep within, and brings to life something deep within all who experience it. It’s an anthem of the self; a passionate cry into the unknown; a daring dance with darkness and light. Dynamic and utterly catchy, Alice Merton’s music has both meaning and movement, and “Lash Out” is no exception: The song comes from a place of incredible intimacy and profound humanity, finding the artist deeply in touch with her emotions and ready to share her full self with all who are willing to listen – or in this case, watch.
Stream Alice Merton’s “Lash Out” music video, out now, and be sure to give her debut EP No Roots a listen – it’s an evocative, heartfelt set of songs that, just like “Lash Out,” invite us to dwell in ourselves and embrace life’s experience to the fullest extent.
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:: stream/purchase “Lash Out” here ::
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