Maybe it’s me, but if you’re going to write music that is earnest, the key is to strip out any vestige of pomp or self-importance. That’s not to say that sincerity can’t be paired with seriousness, it’s just that it’s easy for such songs to come off as preachy or vain. Fortunately, CannonandtheBoxes understand how to walk that fine line. Their latest offering, the driving, introspective “Classic City Celebrity,” is a reflective track that skewers local scene culture through a self-deprecating lens.
As the lead single from their upcoming LP, High Life, the cut introduces the record’s primary theme; namely, what it’s like to come of age as a person and a musician during the madness and isolation of a global pandemic. Sonically, the sound is both galvanizing and melancholic. A steady backbeat and ringing guitars lead the charge, clearing a path for Cannon Rogers’ warm vocals to swoop in like a comforting wind. You could certainly be forgiven for just leaning back and letting the music breeze over you. It’s got a feel-good urgency, blending upbeat instrumentation with passionate hooks and sun-kissed harmonies. But there’s also plenty of soul-searching in the lyrics, even as they’re wrapped around tongue-in-cheek potshots about the band’s hometown scene.
“‘Classic City Celebrity’ was born out of running jokes between me and the band, other musicians, and folks around Athens about the inherent goofiness found in all music scenes, but there is an autobiographical nature to the tune,” Rogers explains. “Maybe more so in the over-the-top concern for local appearances and drinking too heavily than in people singing our songs back to us (as that has yet to become a staple of the Boxes live show) but I hope people understand we’re poking fun at ourselves first and foremost.”
Listen below.
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