Artist: Wicked Bears
Song: “The Darkness”
Album: Underwater (Spring 2023)
Label: Wiretap Records
Genre: Punk, Pop Punk
If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. This would seem like an apt motto for Wicked Bears‘ approach to writing punk songs. While not reinventing the wheel, the Salt Lake City trio have instead put their focus on making the best 3-4 chord pop-leaning punk songs they can, with speedy, inescapable hooks and gang vocal choruses. Their latest single “The Darkness” is just another prime example of their talent.
“All my favorite songs were saying something different all along” opens the track, letting you know it’s going to be a somewhat meta track – a song about songs. The band’s lyrics are tongue-in-cheek (“there’s something nice about a catchy phrase that keeps the darkness away”), yet even within lines like that there’s a sincere love being paid to the punk/pop punk genre, with it’s power to bring joy to people’s lives. And of course, Wicked Bears sing this in such a catchy way that it also serves the purpose of being one of those songs that scares the darkness away.
Check out this sweet track in our Check This 2022 Playlist on Spotify or Apple Music!
The Indy Review 