Back in January, Seattle’s Mister Blank released their first original single in over five years. Now only four months later, they’ve followed it up with another single, “Panic! At the Costco”.
They released the song paired with an instrumental intro as a second, separate track, but both fit extremely well together. I think its a creative option. The song itself is nearly five minutes and the instrumental intro — fully titled “In Hindsight, Maybe coming to Costco at 6:00PM on a Friday Before a Holiday Weekend Wasn’t the Best Idea” — adds another minute. While the intro leads perfectly into the song and both could be one song, it isn’t necessary, and for many people a five-minute song is much easier to digest than a six-minute one. (Unless, of course, you are listening in your car while you weave your way through the Costco parking lot at 6:00 PM on a Friday before a holiday weekend. Then you’ve got plenty of time.)
“Panic! At the Costco” — while the name is clever — actually deals a lot more with the panic and a lot less to do with the Costco. The song is mostly about mental health struggles, over-thinking, anxiety, struggling to function, and looking for a way to escape the dysfunction.
This song is more ska punk and third-wave than the previous single, and it features some solid keys. The song is pretty fast, and perhaps a little more grunge or rock than some of the more pop ska bands of third-wave. Interestingly, the song lacks a chorus, and consists of verses that each contain two or three stanzas that repeat similar themes and language but grow with the song. After the first verse, we get a solid trumpet solo to lead into the second verse. Then the horns drop from the melody, leading us into a solid guitar solo that is amplified by the keys. But after a few passes, the keys get louder, the guitar quiets, and we get to hear the keyboard take center stage. Then, the music drops down and a thick bass line comes in. The drums pick up and both instruments work together to build tension for a few seconds as the keys build up more, and the horns come back to bridge us to the final verse.
This is just a well constructed song. I love every part with or without the intro. Mister Blank isn’t trying to do too much here: They aren’t writing political music, and their messages aren’t ground breaking. Their style isn’t cutting edge or reshaping the genre. This is just good, fun, well-written and well-performed ska music to clear your mind and have fun. Sometimes the thing we all need is to come together and dance, and this music is perfect for that.
Take a listen to “Panic! at the Costco” below.
Written by Gimp Leg
