Review of Berkeley’s On Fire (track by track):
The new and improved SWMRS album kicks off with the album title track, “Berkeley’s On Fire.” The song itself is about rebelling against Berkeley police.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“Tv news is bad for you and bad tv is news for you”
“Okay so we broke a little window little fire out on the street boy that’s our job protect you from these slobs”
“Put your pom poms down you didn’t win shit uh bail out your guilty ass it’s not your business uh”.
Following with a song sung by the eldest member of the group, Max Becker, “Too Much Coffee” has got to be one of my most favorite songs by SWMRS. All in all, this is a great song and I can already picture a music video of this song.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“Don’t tell me how to sing this song”
“’Cause I got everything it takes so don’t try to tell me how to sing it”
“I’m trying to get you to fall in love with the music, it’ll save us all.”
The third track and final single before the album came out, “Trashbag Baby” is the perfect song to listen to if you’re in a toxic relationship or just got out of one. Though, if you are still in a toxic relationship while listening to this song or in general, you need to get out.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“I can’t wait I can’t wait until you’re not around”
“My hand hurts it’s blistered, but don’t grab it ‘cause she’ll fucking stab you”
“I’m sick of being your trashbag baby, wanna see you fall down”.
“Lose Lose Lose” from SWMRS is the first ‘jam’ song. Ya know… One you can really jam to in your bedroom. Or when you’re in bed late at night and can’t sleep. This song is very different for the band mixing rock, hip hop and rap all into one song.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“2019 is a fucking disaster”
“I know I swore if I got pushed down one more time, I’d lose lose lose my mind”
“I’d lose lose lose”
“Death to the mother fucking fascist insect”
“April In Houston” is the second single from the album and was my favorite before the album came out. A track about when the band was in Texas, they were performing sound check at the venue and they heard a train explode. A very catchy beat and chorus as well as a somewhat hip-hop vibe, followed by a video of lead singer, Cole Becker, walking down the streets and dragging a chair, performing some signature dance moves.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“And what’s the problem if I got a little hesitation? Is it wrong to be afraid of growing up?”
“When everybody wants to get me high, everybody wants to get me high, everybody wants to get me high, where will they go when I’m low?”
“Fuck it all, I plead the fifth, modern music makes me sick and leaves me hungry for some action”
“Drums in my ear, just what I need”
“Lonely Ghosts” has one of those guitar riffs you just can’t seem to ever get out of your head. The track also has a great beat and chorus that’s bound to be in your head all day.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“You and I are the only ghosts who don’t have fun, You and I are the only voice”.
“IKEA Date” is probably my personal favorite from this album. Now, when you read my take on this specific track, you may call me psycho. Maybe I am. Maybe we all are. When you’re listening to one of your favorite bands, a band you’ve been listening to and keeping up with for two years… A band that you have seen the most time of any other band or artist… When your life is rough and you only had four hours of sleep the night before, when you made yourself stay up and listen to your current favorite band’s new album… You cry. Or at least I did. This was the song that made me cry real tears. Not just once, not twice, but this song made me cry the first three times that I listened to it. I may be over emotional, but aren’t we all at times? There aren’t many songs in my life that have made me cry. Maybe it was because I was exhausted. Maybe it was because I was proud of SWMRS. Maybe I felt a certain connection with that song and who was singing it. What this track is about is Max (the singer) having a dream about “playing house” with his girlfriend in IKEA. The track is so relatable in the sense of growing up and wanting to live as an adult. I do apologize as this will be the one and only emotional take on a track throughout this review. I promise.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“Where are you? Where are you? Find me please baby. I can’t go back to sleep without you.”
“Hellboy” is the song that we can see everyone moshing to in the pit. And in the words of Kevin Judd, “Nobody in California knows how to start a circle pit.” So, I guess we better all learn how to. This track, along with “Lose Lose Lose”, seem to be the ones that will really get the crowd goin’.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“Hellboy, I never learned anything else. Hellboy, well someone profits from my hell. Hellboy, I guess I’m doomed to take the blame. Hellboy, for my American blame.”
“Bad Allergies” is a song about… Having bad allergies. Specifically, in the springtime. There’s not much to say about this song. It’s not my personal favorite. But I have a source saying that they will defend the song (as they did for a Green Day song called “Nightlife” that was terrible to most fans).
Sorry but no lyrics hooked me.
“Steve Got Robbed” is the final track of this perfect album. So, who is “Steve”? Steve (aka Stove) Rowe, is SWMRS tour dad/photographer (we’re guessing) who got robbed while they were in San Francisco. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, it was a great idea for an ending track on an album. The beat of this song is so upbeat, rocking with a bangin’ guitar riff, and excellent harmonies.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“We’ve all been robbed by someone, but Steve got robbed, twice in one night”
"Out at a show in San Francisco Steve got robbed it was a San Fran shit-show"
"I haven't died yet I'll be alright and I'll be a little bit behind paying my rent"
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