Brutal | 3BOPS

1. Olivia Rodrigo, “Brutal”

💿 SOUR • 🏷 Geffen • 🗓 2021

“Where’s my fucking teenage dream? / If someone tells me one more time / ‘Enjoy your youth,’ I’m gonna cry.” Woo! 🎙 Olivia Rodrigo kicks off her debut album, 💿 SOUR with a surefire bang.  Apparently gone are the days that teen musicians must abstain from swearing and embrace bubblegum tactics.  Gen-Z is a different beast, hence why Rodrigo ensures she comes off brutally on 🎵 “Brutal.”  

“‘Cause I love people I don’t like
And I hate every song I write
And I’m not cool, and I’m not smart
And I can’t even parallel park.” 

“Brutal” is terrific opener which does a masterful job of setting the tone for SOUR.  Here, we get ‘brutal’ honesty from Rodrigo.  I love the attitude and spunk that she brings to the track. The sound perfectly encapsulates Gen-Z and sets the tone for SOUR.  The chorus is epic, highlighted by the line, “God, it’s brutal out here.”

“All I did was try my best
This the kinda thanks I get?
Un-relentlessly upset
They say these are the golden years
But I wish I could disappear
Ego crush is so severe
God, it’s brutal out here.”

2. The Drums, “Brutalism”

💿 Brutalism • 🏷 Anti • 📅 2019

“Baby, by now you must know that this love is brutal / Beyond physical, supernatural, and fully irrational.” Woo! 💿 Brutalism marks the fifth album by indie-pop collective, 🎙 The Drums. The Drums is fronted by 🎙 Jonny Pierce. Notably, on Brutalism, Pierce opens up about his queerness, via an article by Michael Cuby for Them.: “If I’m not talking about being gay, I feel like I’m not really being an artist.  I am an artist and I’m going to make art that reflects who I am.” Fair enough – be you Jonny! Naturally, given the BRUTAL nature of this miniature list, 🎵 “Brutalism” is the song that catches our attention.

As the opening lines from the sole verse of the song suggest, “Brutalism” is all about a brutal love. Clearly, Jonny Pierce ‘feels some type of way.’  There’s evidence of this throughout the song.  On the pre-chorus, he asserts:

“When I’m alone at night and the TV is on
I grab your T-shirt and put it over my face
I put my hand on my chest, so it feels like you’re here
And I’d fly 10,000 miles just to kiss you again.”

Wow – the man is deep in his feelings! Of course, the chorus expresses the brutality, characterizing “Our love is heavy and hard / Desire might be the thing that tears us apart.” That’s BRUTAL for sure, yet his ‘brutalism’ is sweet music to our ears.  Speaking of the music, it’s energetic, rhythmic, and sounds sweet to the ears.

3. Green Day, “Brutal Love”

💿 ¡Tré! • 🏷 Reprise • 📅 2012

In 2012, 🏆 Grammy-winning punk rock collective 🎙 Green Day went against the grain.  Sure, punk bands are natural nonconformists, but that’s not what I’m referencing with the phrase in this instance.  🎙 Billie Joe Armstrong and company released three albums in one year! It’s rare that musicians do such a thing these days, particularly when all three albums are studio albums as opposed to being recorded live.  Fitting the BRUTAL theme of this miniature list is the song 🎵 “Brutal Love” which commences the band’s third LP of 2012, ¡Tré!.   

“Brutal Love” is an unexpected start to ¡Tré!. Rather than the expected, rollicking, up-tempo, ‘kick ass and take names’ approach, Green Day deliver a mid-tempo, rock ballad, in duple-compound meter! Question: Does “Brutal Love” end up sounding punk? Well, of course to some extent, but the record also embraces an old school rock feel that also encompasses country-rock.  Besides dipping into the sub-genres of rock, the record features a fine harmonic scheme, with some ear-catching quirks.  Worth noting, there’s even a key change towards the end.  As far as the sound, it’s cool that some horns are thrown into the mix – you don’t hear that in punk or punk revivalism often! Of course, the key components of “Brutal Love” are the vocals of Billie Joe and of course, the songwriting:

“Turn out the lights, close your eyes
Turn up the silence, the heartache of your life
Dance forever, under the lights, this brutal love...”