Weekend Recovery’s latest track, ‘Chemtrails‘, is a direct response to the rampant spread of misinformation, both on unregulated social channels and in the mainstream news media. From start to finish, the song captures the emotional journey of watching dangerous lies spread through your community. It takes the frustration and annoyance of that experience, and condenses it into a few minutes of unbelievably catchy music.
‘Chemtrails’ hits heavy from the start, with fuzzy guitars, throbbing drums and lyrics delivered in a way that aches with feeling driving them. By titling the track, the band have created a clever metaphor that bleeds into its structure – it takes a conspiracy theory popularised by tools spreading misinformation, and uses it to critique those exact tools. It’s a fun parallel that shows the group’s skills when it comes to crafting lyrics with depth, nuance and sharp commentary.
The lyrics strike that delicate balance between being relatable, while still capturing a specific moment. A huge proportion of the people listening to this song will know the exhaustion of hearing another tired cover of Freebird at an open mic; it wouldn’t surprise me if the band (perhaps each member individually) and every one of those listeners will have the face in mind of a specific bland performer who finally tipped the scales and made Freebird unlistenable for them. These words are fuelled by vocals soaked with feeling – there is an initial aggression to them that captures the rage you feel seeing people legitimise dangerous lies. They relax into an almost spoken section heavy with sarcasm that is cathartic to hear. These are bookended by upbeat, bouncy lines that let you fall back into the space where, if nothing else, you have to laugh at the situation. The strings ramp up to the climatic finish to wrap all those emotions into a powerful scream, which swiftly drops back into the bouncy vocals before it implodes like your mental health after too much time in the wrong corner of Twitter.
In ‘Chemtrails’, Weekend Recovery have captured the nuanced anguish of being caught in a constant untrustworthy news cycle, and made it catchy as hell at the same time.
Kirstie Summers
@ActuallyKurt
Photo Credit: Keira Anee Photography
Get In Her Ears 
Published by