SINGLE REVIEW: Southwest Royal - "Force Of A Gorilla Punch"
Southwest Royal explore the darker side of pop punk with “Force Of A Gorilla Punch”
Written by JD Walker
Pop-punk isn’t always so happy-go-lucky, even if the sound can be deceiving sometimes. Southwest Royal explores some of the more common hardships that many people in younger generations are faced with - substance abuse, infidelity, and lack of communication with loved ones - in their new single “Force of a Gorilla Punch”.
The song begins with an almost Alkaline Trio-esque riff before getting right down to business. The Oregon-based trio composed of guitarist and vocalist Preston Montgomery, bassist and vocalist Tui Okesene, and drummer Justin Haeckle, display tight musicianship with each other while still preserving the raw and unpolished sound that makes the genre so connective to a wide audience. The group provides a great sense of dynamic in their playing both in composition and delivery, spicing up the song with ghost notes and open ambiance to give the audience a breather from the high energy choruses and verses.
The video does a wonderful job of illustrating the context of the song - cut scenes include showing the members struggling with depression, regular pill-popping, and the sorrows of feeling as if a partner is being unfaithful. The video sequences between shots of the band rocking out and scenes of the respective members abusing drugs, depressive episodes, and arguing with an actress meant to represent a spouse. The substance of the video definitely hits home for a variety of people and adds to the relevance of the song.
Music is one of the purest forms of expression - sometimes the feelings being expressed are happy, and sometimes they’re not. Southwest Royal does a great job of bringing to light and expressing some of the harder elements of life that are rarely spoken of, but bravely articulated in the video and song. The Medford trio have their hearts in the right place and have a strong message to send, part of what makes “Force of a Gorilla Punch” such a great tune.