You know those moments in your life, those moments of sheer perfection that will always remain? Like staying up all night for the first time or discovering the freedom-inducing powers of alcohol as an errant teenager…when reaching 18 obviously. All the time with friendships whose presence you thought as reliable as mortgage prices rising?
Skewwhiff’s 2 minute & 50 second lyrical sketch of life careering onwards and upwards is a reflective and mature opus. The moments of perfect imperfection – growing up! – are acknowledged in the clever and witty lyrics: “…every other night was like a New Year’s Eve, and the nights in between those were all like Christmas Eves’.” We must all recall when life was one big celebration!
Then adulthood lumbers in like a pachyderm in your extortionately- priced terraced box room. The line – “I’m in the way, I have no doubt” – articulates with a barrister’s need for honesty what it is like to realise when life and friends are moving on. The hyper-proclamation, “what about me,” is an invitation for all of us to ponder our place on the monopoly board of life.
Do you remember in the mid-nineties when every week saw perfect indie-pop songs released?
Musically, Skewwhiff’s track is as taut and precise as your wedding vows in the eyes of the law. The subtly nuanced song has shades of Echobelly, Supergrass, and yes, the guitar licks hint at a Sex Pistols homage at times.
I still recall the time when I stayed up all night at a house party and then, with no sleep, went into work. I really have to work at staying up past 11pm now! How life changes…
Workers from the 18th century came up with the origins for the word Skewwhiff – Skew-weft- an expression used by weavers to describe fabric being out of alignment. For me Skewwhiff have captured the fabric of life with this musical tapestry, taking you from the glory days of seeming perfection to the skew-weft of adulthood. Such is the circular narrative of life: a perfect indie-pop song for 2024.
By: The Swilgate Scuttler
PS Do not pass GO without purchasing a ticket for Skewwhiff’s gig this weekend, at the OCC in Malvern
Why not take a friend or two, who you have not seen for a while, rather than swapping emojis on Insta-tok-book?
Find out more
- Check out Skewwhiff’s LinkTree to find out more
- Purchase a download of Onwards Upwards on Bandcamp