We all have our fears. Mine is getting run over by a clown car and then having ten clowns pile out to laugh at me. Or falling down a well. Fear is such a universally felt phenomenon and is such a governing factor in our lives. So when you come across a song about fear you’d expect an abundance of dark tones, eerie lyrics and anguished vocals. But imagine my surprise when the song Fears from The Jensens bops along through my speakers with it’s very jolly melody and care free vocals.
Disguised as a care free pop song, Fears is an exploration into the twisted worlds we create for ourselves. The Jensens have nailed what it is to be afraid in a refreshing way.
For those of you who have not been acquainted, The Jensens first breathed life in 2013 in Brisbane. Their last two tracks Sick Sad World and Shark Thunder have generated a lot of deserved buzz around the five piece. Fears is the first single taken from their full length mixtape which will be out in early 2015.
On the surface there is nothing fearful about this track. In fact it comes across as another fun, indie-rock track to add to your ‘Fun in the sun’ summer playlist. But if you dare to listen closely, it is very clear that The Jensens have written a song that truly captures the essence of fear. “This is where I feel safe. This is where my fears take control, and they won’t let go” sings Joseph White in the opening lines. You almost fail to notice the fear in the lyrics due to that deceptive guitar pop that jangles throughout the track. The drums, bass and keys are tightly woven together to create quite the little toe tapper, and the harmonised vocals is definitely the neat ribbon on what on the surface is a cute, poppy package.
Yet it’s the lyrics that reveal the true nature of the song, and whilst the instrumentation may give you the warm and fuzzy feelings, the lyrics evoke a conflicting feeling. They are confronting and a little intense as they detail the arduous process of battling the psychological monsters we all have to face. The darkness in Fears is ever so clear in the lyrics “This is where my hands take, this is where my hands take a hold of my throat and they won’t let go”. We’ve all been in a situation where we’ve laid in bed staring at the dark, anxious thoughts swirling in our minds transforming little things into over-bearing psychological monsters. Fears captures that feeling nicely as White confronts his feelings of his life being in limbo.
But why the catchy pop melody you ask? When you’re afraid sometimes you can’t help but try to put up a strong front and be brave despite trembling on the inside. Because that is what fear is, it eats at you from wihin. The music does a great job of manifesting the feeling of trying to be strong in the face of fear, the positive atmosphere it generates juxtaposes with the lyrics to mould a well-rounded track that accurately details such a basic human condition.
The Jensens will be playing a launch show for Fears at Dive tomorrow, so all you Brisbane kids get down and have a boogie! Check out all the deets on the band’s Facebook.
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