THEORY OF A DEADMAN 'Part 1: Funeral Songs'

THEORY OF A DEADMAN
Part 1: Funeral Songs EP
OneRPM

This coming September, Theory of a Deadman will release its latest studio recording in the form of its new EP, Part 1: Funeral Songs.  Set for release Sept. 4 via OneRPM, the 6-song record will come more than three years after the release of the band’s then latest offering, its album, Dinosaur, which was released in March 2023 through Roadrunner Records.  The record is a solid addition to this year’s field of new EPs.  This is shown through the record’s musical and lyrical content alike.  A prime example of this comes early in the EP’s title track.  ‘The biting satire that is ‘Monster Truck,’ is another great example of what makes the EP worth hearing.  ‘Winnebago (Lay Low),’ one of the record’s early entries, is yet one more example of how much the record has to offer.  When it and the other noted songs are considered collectively, they make Part 1: Funeral Songs an undeniably strong new entry in this year’s field of new EPs.

Part 1: Funeral Songs, the forth coming new EP from Theory of a Deadman, is an interesting new offering from the band.  It is a presentation that is sure to appeal widely among the band’s established audiences and more casual listeners alike.  That is proven in part through its title track, whose musical arrangement is a driving bluesy punk-tinged composition that keeps listeners fully engaged and entertained from beginning to end of its 4-minute run time.  On a side note, that run time makes it the EP’s longest track. 

The fire in the song’s musical arrangement pairs well with the edge in its lyrical theme, which is a clearly angry work that finds its subject essentially giving the middle finger to someone whose time has come.  This is inferred clearly as front man Tyler Connolly sings, “This is your funeral song/Hate to say it/but I’m glad you’re gone/Church boy choir/They’re about to sing/So light that pyre/It’s a beautiful thing/I showed up late/And I came alone/With crocodile tears/And a heart of stone/It’s hard to hide that smile of mine/When you’re going to hell/In a shell of pine/You may see me jump for joy/But oh no/You won’t see me cry/At your funeral/No, you won’t be missed at all/It’s true/That I won’t lie/There’s blessing in the pain/But I don’t feel a thing for you/Six feet down/Is where you’ll rot for good/At your funeral/This is your funeral song.”  Everyone has had someone they disliked this much but few if any have ever had the inner strength to so blatantly come out and say such things about such individuals.  To that end, it is a song that is sure to help so many people, especially considering that according to society, we are not supposed to have such negative emotions toward anyone even if we hold such dislike for them.  Keeping that in mind, this is Theory of a Deadman bucking that social norma and doing so in welcome fashion.  Interestingly enough, this does not seem to be aimed at someone of the opposite sex.  Rather it would appear to be aimed at someone of the same sex, considering the note that, “Your exes/Your hoes/Are here/But they won’t shed a tear.”  So, whomever this person was, he was clearly not a good person.  It would be interesting to know the story behind this biting work that is also so empowering.  Regardless, it is a discussion that certainly gives this EP plenty of positive.

‘Monster Truck,’ the EP’s penultimate entry, is another example of how much the record has to offer.  As with ‘Funeral Song,’ that is due in part to its featured musical arrangement.  Fittingly, being that the song is a satire of American culture, the song’s arrangement is a modern country rock presentation.  Being that Theory of a Deadman is Canadian and all of the tensions between U.S. and Canadian government agencies, the jab even on this level is justified.  Interestingly enough, it is also a sound and stylistic approach that established audiences will recognize almost immediately as it throws back to the approach the band took early on in its catalog.

The real biting commentary comes as Connolly launches into honestly what could be argued to be the culture of the MAGA cult.  From singing about a person being in a monster truck with a pack of Camel cigarettes and having a gun rack, etc. to singing that “My ears are ringing from the sound of America,” what Connolly is doing is poking such loud fun at that simple-minded nature of that culture.  To that end, this could so easily be considered a sociopolitical commentary just done in a more subtle fashion.  If in fact that is the case then the band has pulled it off in such a smart fashion and in turn is to be commended.  When that seeming commentary is paired with the song’s equally funny country rock musical arrangement, the whole makes this song yet another example of how much this record has to offer.

One more song that shows the EP’s strength comes early in its run in the form of ‘Winnebago (Lay Low).’  This song stands out just as much for its musical arrangement as the rest of the songs featured herein.  Right off the bat, the arrangement makes itself easily comparable to the country western work that Falling in Reverse composed alongside Jelly Roll, ‘All My Life.’  Even with that in mind, the arrangement still holds its own identity.

The song, lyrically speaking holds its own identity even with its own familiarity, too.  The song’s lyrical theme tackles “finally getting to an age where you don’t want to go to the bar and realize staying home is now a much better option,” according to Connolly.  In other words it is a song about getting older both in regard to age and maturity.  This is exemplified as Connolly sings, “Oh no/I should have just stayed home/I should’ve laid low/In the Winnebago/Oh no/I should’ve just stayed home/I’m so pumped up/Gonna have some fun/On a Saturday night/Seein’ everyone/But a calm night out/Turned right fast into a storm/After three or four bars/It was getting’ late/It was time to slow down/Time to hit the brakes/But you know I ain’t stoppin’/Til I have a few dozen more/It went from going out with my friends/To a night that’ll never end/Now I’m drunk as **** And I don’t even care/Yeah, I’m streaking Broadway/In my underwear/Oh no/I should’ve just stayed home/I should’ve laid low/in the Winnebago.”  In other words, this is someone who wanted to go out and party and realized after the fact, the impact of going out and getting drunk, acting stupid.  It is that point of finally growing up and realizing one is not the same anymore.  Everyone reaches that point in life at one moment or another.  To that end, this is another resonant message that plenty of audiences will appreciate.  When it and the other themes examined here are considered along with the EP’s other themes, the whole therein proves that much more just what makes the record worth hearing.  When that whole is considered with the whole of the record’s musical arrangements, that entirety leaves no doubt that Part 1; Funeral Songs is a welcome addition not this year’s field of new EPs.

Part 1: Funeral Songs, the forthcoming new EP from Theory of a Deadman, is a successful new offering from the veteran rock band.  Its success comes in part through its featured musical arrangements, which offer plenty of familiarity and accessibility.  The lyrical themes that accompany the EP’s musical material adds to the whole, too.  That is because of their own accessibility.  All of the songs examined here make all of that clear.  When those songs are considered alongside the rest of the record’s entries, the whole leaves Part 1: Funeral Songs a solid entry that is also a welcome addition to this year’s field of new EPs.

Part 1: Funeral Songs is scheduled for release Sept. 4 through OneRPM.  More information on the EP is available along with all of Theory of a Deadman’s latest news at:

Website: https://theoryofficial.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/theorymusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheoryMusic

5.0 Out Of 5.0