Over the last two-plus years, a virtual commute became the norm for many. Now, as life has turned back towards normal, the old work routines have come back, too. However, the lines between work and life are forever blurred with e-mails, Zoom calls, etc. As a result, the difference between employee and drone becomes narrow. Washington D.C.-based alternative rock band Tired All The Time rail against the zombification of the American worker with their latest single, “Then And There.” Mashing up chill, new wave vibes with the vigorous punch of post-punk, the band manifests an eruption of pent up frustration resulting from a mind numbing grind.
At first, we are greeted with the cool breeze of synth to provide a mellow influence. It supplies an everyman, workaday feel as lead singer Michael Richard Tally cues up a dry opening line of “there’s a tunnel from home straight to your desk.” With hints of resignation from the get go, it establishes the one track pattern of life. Rolling right along, “there’s a glowing arrow on a street sign” that is a harbinger of the robotic procession that commuters undertake every day. Implying that there is no deviating from the path, you follow through on the directives programmed into you.
Eventually, becoming an automaton leads to “a code that practically wrote itself.” Thankfully, there are signs of life in the form of increasingly heavy bass and drum driven melodies. Each one carries with it a refrain of “wasted talent, work life balance, don’t fight progress.” It’s subtle in delivery, but it speaks volumes about hitting a dead end in your career path. You’re not where you want to be, what you’re doing consumes you more than it should and you’re powerless to stop it.
Altogether, “Then And There” encapsulates the frustration of being stuck in a rut. As you listen along, the steady hand of synth gives way to the clenched fist of exasperated bass and drums. Tired All The Time lets the slow boil of disdain overflow with masterful execution.
Written by Travis Boyer
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