An open letter to the struggles of our present day, The Mommyheads’ latest single “Out From Under The Glass” from new album ‘New Kings of Pop’ explores technology, isolation, agency, and more from a parental perspective brimming with heartache, uncertainty, commitment, and resolve.
“Out From Under The Glass” – The Mommyheads
This an open letter to the heads that talk – we watched you squirm, we heard you squawk, invest the blame in each others’ name and nothing changes…
One of the most difficult things about today’s chaos is how little control we seem to have over it – both for ourselves, and for our loved ones. Limitless information and disinformation are available at the touch of a button, and the notifications ding! from our devices with a constant pool of updates we (by and large) never asked for. It’s good to be in the know, but what are we learning? Distractions are equally available, with a limitless stream of television, movies, games, and applications available at all times, and at our leisure.
Where is the substance; where is civility; where and what are our values right now? Are we really moving forward; are we better off than we were ten, twenty, or thirty years ago? The Mommyheads’ latest song engages with the struggles of the moment, centering itself around not any one question, but rather the obstacles in our way of surviving the modern age: An open letter to the struggles of our present day, “Out From Under The Glass” explores technology, isolation, agency, and more from a parental perspective brimming with heartache, uncertainty, commitment, and resolve.
This is my open letter to the razors edge
You dug a path to his river bed
Which carried him to the sea
And all his hearts debris
An open letter to the world outside
Your child within has closed its eyes
Those breadcrumb laid have blown away
And all at once we don’t feel numb
The dark before the dawn
When the curtains are all drawn
Those secret webs are spun
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Out From Under The Glass,” the lead single off The Mommyheads’ forthcoming studio album New Kings of Pop (out August 28, 2020 via FanFar Records). The indie rock band currently consisting of Adam Elk, Michael Holt, Dan Fisherman, and Jason McNair, The Mommyheads formed in the late 1980s and have been on and off for well over thirty years now; the New York City-based band was active from 1987 to ’98, then disbanded for a decade before reforming in 2008. A progressive act whose sound and lyricism have consistently been ahead of the curve, The Mommyheads’ latest record comes at a height of both individual and societal noise, strife, tension, and more. New Kings of Pop, which follows quickly on the heels of 2018’s Soundtrack to the World’s End and 2019’s Future You, is as colorful as it is nuanced – a well-rounded exploration of the still wide-eyed and youthful maturity that comes with a middle-aged band.
This adventure begins for us and the band with “Out From Under the Glass,” an emotional confrontation with technology and more. We feel the fullness of the group’s plight in the song’s chorus:
These images pass his eyes way too fast
I’m giving everything I’ve got
To pull him out from under the glass
I’m climbing through the dark
To find a well lit path
I’m giving everything I’ve got
To pull him out from under the glass
But the tighter that I grip
The more I slip
As I pull him out from under
Pull him out from under the glass
The Mommyheads’ founder and frontman Adam Elk describes the album’s lead single as one of emotional strife, but also familiar unity. “The song speaks to my own struggles as a parent as I witness my children slip into the highly addictive virtual-world,” Elk tells Atwood Magazine. “Collaborating with my family on this project, as well as the 5000 hand-drawn RotoScoping frames, proved therapeutic. I hope this video inspires families to be creative and make art together during these trying times.”
Singing raw and fiercely over a gorgeous soundscape of rollicking guitars, Elk makes himself and his message heard.
This an open letter to the heads that talk
We watched you squirm, we heard you squawk
Invest the blame in each others name
And nothing changes
This an open letter to her loneliness
I hold her tight against my chest
But I’m losing touch of knowing what’s best
And all at once we don’t feel numb
Our love is like the air
It weaves through every tear
If we handle it with care
The Mommyheads don’t have an agenda; they don’t express a preference for any one “side” of any debate, nor do they seem to inherently dislike or reject all that’s come with the information and streaming age. Rather, their music is one more of the many asking, “What do we do?” in response to life’s tendency to overwhelm and exhaust. They offer no direct answers, but we can pick out Elk’s lingering hope: That steadfast belief that there is something he, and others, can do to support, uplift, and continue to nurture his children through this unprecedented age.
Stream “Out From Under The Glass” exclusively on Atwood Magazine!
These images pass her eyes way too fast
I’m giving everything I’ve got
To pull her out from under the glass
I’m climbing through the night
To find a well lit path
I’m giving everything I’ve got
To pull her out from under the glass
But the tighter that I grip
The more I slip
As I pull her out from under
As I pull him out from under
As I pull her out from under
As I pull him out from under the glass
“Out From Under The Glass” – The Mommyheads
— — — —
Connect to The Mommyheads on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Discover new music on Atwood Magazine
? © Juliet Rose
:: Stream The Mommyheads ::
