For my final portfolio post, I listened to the song “Now or Never” by Meet Me @ The Alter. Listening to this song, the style and tune of it reminded me a lot of the 2010’s type of alternative rock music that were typically boy bands like 5 Seconds of Summer, Sleeping with Sirens, and We The Kings.
The lyrics:
“It’s seventy degrees and I can feel the breeze, pull through my hair on that summer evening. It was you and me lost in the big city, so full of life, we could be anything.”
(Pre Chorus): “Woah, I know you know, I can’t let, can’t let it go, hope you know, I miss it
(Chorus): Wish we could stay, we could stay forever, I didn’t know how it felt, the feeling of no weight, is is now, is it now or never? Are you and I gonna jump or fall right in place?
Driving in your car, we swore we’d go real far, but we slowed down, yeah we’re running empty, put the car in park, we stared up at the stars, I’d never leave if the world would let me.
Hope you know, I can’t forget the past, I tried everything to keep you from going, and stayed all in my dreams, where some bones are, now they’re broken, it’s silly I even think you see why I’m suffering, I thought I knew you well, your smell’s on my pillowcase, I still set your dinner plate, this only gets harder, doesn’t it?”
(returns to chorus one last time)
Overall, I thought there was a good amount to unpack from these lyrics. The lead singer, Edith Johnson, reveals a lot of traits about her relationship that relate to the Sex Role Theory, but breaks through them each time the chorus rolls around.
When the song opens, she describes the wind blowing through her hair in the city with her partner. She doesn’t want this person to go, and wishes for them to stay forever. Being that these desires are expressed in the form of a wish, it comes across more passive. But by declaring that it is “now or never” Edith’s tone becomes much more dominant and assertive. She is taking the lead instead of passively yielding waiting for her partner to do so.
When she describes the turbulence of the relationship near the end of the song, she says that she has clung to her “dream” and still smells her partner on her pillowcase and still sets a “dinner plate” for her partner. The ideal of the woman setting up the table for a meal and clinging to dreams and pillowcases is much more delicate and traditionally a “woman’s” role/expectation. But Edith continues to describe that she is no longer taking this passive role when she reminds her partner it’s “now or never”.
Overall, I think the band takes on a breakthrough role in the alternative-rock/emo scene, the band is composed of three women, and both the drummer Ada and guitarist Tea are outwardly lesbian. All three of the members are also women of color and are breaking so many barriers of the typical identity that we see in this genre of music: which would be white, hetero males.
The members of the band dress in lots of updated alternative/emo fashion with lots of black and contrasting bright pops of color. It’s rare to see any of the members wearing clothing that is typical of women (dresses and skirts). They all most typically wear high-waisted pants, graphic t-shirts, fishnet shirts layered underneath, and crop tops. Edith plays around with lots of color in her very long hair and super bright makeup, which are easily two of her most outwardly feminine physical traits.
Overall, I think it is very refreshing and empowering to discover this band and how they are re-inventing the image and associations of the punk-rock scene.
Shared by: Em von der Ruhr
Image Credit: https://www.instagram.com/p/CWWIRZJpPSD/