Scott O'Brien's new single, "Submission," rushes in like a storm, unfiltered and unforgiving, pulling listeners through a meditation on humanity's current state. It isn't a song so much as a battle cry buried in distortion and defiance.
The song starts hard, with jangly, off-kilter guitars that immediately tell you you're in for a mean ride. And when the drums thunder in, rather than merely keeping pace, they drive the song forward, about to burst at the dam in an explosion. O'Brien delves into a universal anger that's all too recognizable. He doesn't pussyfoot or operate in the realm of metaphor. Instead, he provides a clear-sighted, emotionally charged meditation on the fraying fabric of a society trapped in cycles of control, compliance, and disappointment. It's protest music for a generation that's sick of nodding along.
What makes "Submission" distinctive is its combination of raw feeling and musical discipline. There's a careful construction beneath the cacophony for the song's raw energy. The music is tight and impassioned, and it doesn't waver. Every note, every word, hits home with the sting of intent. The payoff, when it comes, doesn't merely provide release. It insists on a reckoning.