“’Demon Boy’ is an ode to the demons we create in our mind,” Gold Coast band Takaicardia said of their new single.
Takaicardia have released their new single Demon Boy. A thunderous odyssey spanning grimy garage to thrashy stoner rock, the track brings to life the anxiety demons we all carry, and serves as the Gold Coast trio’s second single of 2023.
Demon Boy opens with glittery guitar strums and subtle percussion, with vocals that flit between a whisper and a roar.
What begins as soft-sung melancholia later translates into blistering grunge, with thunderous drum rolls and the gritty screech of an electric guitar.
Here, Takaicardia generate a head-banging quality that almost begs listeners to sing along. Demon Boy oscillates between a thrashing chorus and a slow-groove verse, serving as a testament to the trio’s sonic versatility.
For a lesser act, the contrast in tone might’ve proved dizzying, but Takaicardia borrow from this range of rock influences without feeling like a parody.
Nowhere is their versatility more pronounced than on the song’s bridge, when the trio transition into a glorious punk section.
In what sounds like the single’s B-side, the band opt for psychedelic flairs and grimy instrumentation, gradually amping up the speed until it dissipates for a return to the track’s original formula.
The track’s raucous energy — which seems purpose-built for the upheave of a stadium — belies its otherwise introspective lyrics. Here, Takaicardia reflect on the anxieties that occupy much of our mental space. “Why am I so in my head,” they croon, “Why is it so cold?”
To smuggle such heady and important themes into an otherwise staple rock cut is no small feat, but Takaicardia pull it off without sacrificing the song’s message.
“Demon Boy is an ode to the demons we create in our mind that clearly do not exist,” the band said in a press statement. “[We] wanted to capture the feelings during these toxic thought patterns, a maze that seems to never end.”
It’s the kind of lyrical mastery you’d expect from an act ten years’ their senior, but Takaicardia are doubly impressive given their relative greenness on the scene.
With only one self-titled EP under their belt and now a stellar new single, Takaicardia are just getting started. Listen to the band’s new track Demon Boy below.
