London artist Keeper brings all the aggro (and some) in his latest biting release with Sideview Drive – ‘FML’.
A self-confessed “UK scene kid, doing a bad Neck Deep impression, over 808’s and out of tune guitars” – Keeper’s background as the guitarist in London post-hardcore four-piece Jack The Envious gives him some pretty sturdy foundations to build on.
Following his acclaimed 2021 debut EP ‘Guess I’m Keeper’, further releases including singles ‘Change’, ‘Shin’ and ‘Toad’ were also noted. This new track sees Keeper combining both melody and hostility – taking the post-hardcore genre and deftly blending it with elements of pop punk and emo rap to a favourable end.
Talking about the tune, Keeper explained “It’s about standing up and biting back… that I need to look after myself better and stick to my guns”, but the anger in this track goes even further. “It’s also loosely about the ever-growing climate emergency and wealth disparity. The continued decline of the everyday man, strangled by the 1%. Only looking after themselves”. This combination of anxieties, both personal and on society as a whole, bleeds through in the lyrics with a bitter taste of frustration.
‘FML’ is three-and-a-half-minutes of angst manifested through cutting riffs, sharp snappy breaks and a mix of clean and screamed vocals. Straight from the opening bars – we feel the rumbling 3build of the guitar across a heart-stopping bassline, before the heartfelt lyricism hits.
Pop punk melodic vocal delivery leads much of this track, with emo trap-flavoured chorus and drop before the 2-minute mark signals a switch-up. Harsh vocals lead to an impressively aggression-filled breakdown likely to burst eardrums and speakers alike.
It’s a song that feels somewhat familiar in its origins, yet still incredibly fresh with each play. Not to mention catchy. If you like artists like Machine Gun Kelly, KennyHoopla and/or Enter Shikari – you’ll dig this.