I’d like to give you a little look into my mental state just prior to writing this article. I was working remote (meaning “not home”), and my computer decided to not accept my USB-C headphones, the only ones I had on hand. This meant I had to rush into the nearest dollar store, purchase the cheapest, tinniest, and most uncomfortable earbuds I could find, and pray that my dinosaur of a laptop would accept my meager offerings.
You may think that has nothing to do with the subject of this article, which is the new single “fake it til u make it” by Montreal singer-songwriter Jesse Creatchman. But folks, even through these horrendous hearing devices, Creatchman’s music roars both in its sound and its message. He blends classic rock and roots influences with a touch of alt-country, adding driving grooves to get everyone into the spirit of his songs. His official bio says he writes and sings songs “with one boot in tradition” – referring to the slight folk twang – and “the other in the modern world”, hinting at his sharp edge and wit.
“fake it til u make it” sends up attention culture with a blues-rock beat, following a narrator chasing clicks, streams, mentions, and viral success. Creatchman frames the lyrics as a satirical AI prompt, asking the chat bot “Drop a bomb, give ’em hooks that’ll scratch / What a catch, reel ’em in, the kids just wanna have fun / Wanna pump, vape while they chew gum”. It’s something that plenty of folks would ask of Suno, the music generation nightmare. But Creatchman makes a joke of it here, and with this song, he shows he doesn’t need anything but his own brain to write a good track.
Creatchman says about the song: “Beneath the humour is a simple truth: no matter how much technology changes, people are still searching for meaning, connection, and a little recognition.” A refrain through the lyrics is the line “I got the blues in my soul”, reflecting that no matter how much technology grants people their every wish, nothing’s going to fulfill the spirit more than real human interaction. With “fake it til u make it”, Creatchman’s hoping to bring people together through the groove and power of his music.
I will say, this song and my headphones not working are probably both signs. I shouldn’t have my ears pumped full of sound or my eyes fixed on a screen all the time. I should be with nature or other people, giving my attention to the beauty of the world and my friends! (Although they may also be on their phones, and let’s be real: What is friendship these days, if not showing each other ridiculous Instagram reels?)
Take a listen to “fake it til u make it” below:
Written by Will Sisskind
