Definitely “Give a Damn” about StripJoints Vol. 86

We featured Bryce Vine before in StripJoints Vol. 84. Vine got his first taste of success as a far-reaching contestant on The Glee Project. The original song, “Baby Girl” was a cool funky track reflective of an artist finding his voice. This time around, that voice is amplified with the guest appearance of Jeremih. “Baby Girl” retains its infectious beat to open and segues into a rhythmic tune carried by Vine’s sultry vocals that befit indoor clubbing airplay. Jeremih—who fans will remember from the smash “Birthday Sex“—makes the most of his brief appearance with his bars “milkshake make me wanna taste/I’m like mmm.”

There’s a strong chance you’ve heard “Bad Guy”, the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 by Billie Eilish. But if you haven’t heard this amazing Southern-rock-tinged version by Christopher Shayne, stop reading and press play. In the aforementioned interview, Shayne said he finds it an engrossing creative challenge to “take something someone else did and think ‘What would this sound like in my voice?’ … Taking a song like ‘Bad Guy’ and trying to transform it into what we are leads to a lot of different questions in your head as a creator.” As a listener, my only question is how can I get this version of the song into more ears?

King Falcon is a New York-based band with a song “Shake! Shake! Shake!” that offers some lighthearted fun in a time when that seems increasingly hard to come by. The inspiration for the song was “shenanigans in Los Angeles” said bandmate Michael Rubin in an interview with ED Magazine. As the song’s title would suggest, this track is about moving “Shake shake shake/Shake like a tambourine”. Sometimes a song comes along that doesn’t have any hidden meanings and harkens back to the original inspiration for music: communal auditory stimulation that can result in dance—or in this case—shaking.

Within the first 15 seconds of “Break My Heart”, it’s easy to hear why Dua Lipa has burst onto the scene in the last few years. Originally from London, Dua Lipa first came to international attention with her well-received eponymous album and has continued to soar since, with Grammy wins, more critical acclaim, and a second album “Future Nostalgia” that came as lockdowns forced many listeners to stay home amid COVID-19 fears. “Break My Heart” is from her second album and is a catchy, poppy, synthy blend that spotlights Dua Lipa’s gifted vocals. And if you need any proof that this track is a bit of an 80s throwback? Look no further than the songwriting credits, which feature Michael Hutchence and Andrew Farriss of INXS.

 

A question as old as time immemorial, Them Evils attempts to answer “Where Ya Gonna Crash Tonight?” in the form of a rock tune that opens similarly to “Dance, Dance” by Fall Out Boy. The song then progresses as Jordan Griffin sings about an experience many of us can speak to, “I can’t tell you where I’m gonna be/if it’s anything like yesterday, you know I’ll pay for it in the morning.” Them Evils’ website says the group prescribes to “classic rock, modern roll.” That about sums this track up.

A Killer’s Confession “Last Chance”
“Last Chance” is a tune from Waylon Reavis’s latest project, A Killer’s Confession (AKC). Formerly a member of Mushroomhead, Tenafly Viper, 3 Quarters Dead, Reavis cedes no quarter in this alt-metal song, which features a brief synth number in the intro. “Last Chance” sees Reavis bemoaning his situation with this unseen partner, “This is my last chance/I’m so ashamed of every moment that I failed you,” though also making it clear he isn’t the only at-fault party, “‘Cause you know in your heart/Why no one will stay.” The rest of the Cleveland-based rock quintet surrounds Reavis with instrumental play that matches Reavis’s renowned vocal output.