An estimated 98% of us experience earworms. Despite the annoying times that we can’t get a chorus or a hook of an overplayed pop song out of our heads, getting a really good earworm stuck can be one of the best things ever.
We here at Nerdist are dead-set on bringing you those types of songs, if only for the weekend. We’ll be scouring the internet for the best earworms we can shove into your meaty brains!
Full disclosure – before anyone shouts “nepotism” – I know this band on a friendly level. A couple things, though. First, they’ve been broken up for some time now, and secondly, stop shouting “nepotism” at your computer screen, you weird, all-alone shouter. So yeah, I can call these guys my somewhat-sort-of pals as we share mutual friends and, yes I’m featuring their music in an article. The lesson here is: become a band, hang out with me a few times, break up, and then about 6 years later I’ll write an article about you. Easy-peasy. So, despite not being able to see these guys perform live any longer, you can at least enjoy some of the amazing music they made because the real point of these articles is about getting music that is stuck in my head into yours. So here we go with The Hot Melts!
Edith
The Hot Melts were a four piece band hailing from Liverpool, UK. Can you imagine the times anyone with nothing better to say asked them some sort of question about the Beatles? Come to think of it, I was probably guilty of just that. You’re welcome, the rest of America. I strengthened that stereotype for everyone. Thankfully, pushing past any Liverpudlian comparisons and The Hot Melts cranked out a respectable amount of power-pop indie rock.
Sweetness Making Me Ill
Released in 2009 on Epitaph Europe, their self-titled album (which is still available on iTunes) is mostly quick and dirty punk rock songs with a few pop rock ones and a ballad or two peppered in for good measure. I suppose I could include a slower song but lets keep the tempo up with…
Happiness is Weakness
This track might be my favorite of theirs and it probably says more about me than I’d like to admit. I just can’t help but love the combination of happy pop punk tone as a counterpart to some fairly dark post-heartbreak lyrics. “A little light depression/ Helps me stay headstrong/ Don’t get the wrong impression/ But it helps me get along” It’s probably a bad thing that those lyrics appeal to me as much as they do.
But hey, this column is about earworms so I have to break out the one you’ll never be able to get out of your head.
Fun
I’m not going to apologize for that chorus/harmony that will surely never escape your head. It’s been with me for years and now it’s partially your catchy burden to bear. Like a musical version of The Ring, you’ll just have to pass it on to someone else some day.
What do you think of The Hot Melts? Let us know in the comments below.
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Blake Rodgers writes for Nerdist from Chicago IL where he lives happily with his Guinness World Record for High Fives. You can be his pal by following him on Twitter (@TheBlakeRodgers)
