Go Hang has been in my sights (and ears) for a while. If you don’t know who the fuck they are, you’re missing out Pal! I’m sorry to tell you. I checked out their spotify and noticed their highlighted song, Rent to Own, from their album Ghutted (2023). Pictured with an image of an anime woman being hung and with her entrails falling out, with a mismatching ahegao grin. I am a horror fan, so I wasn’t fazed.
Rent to Own: Starts off with a eerie twang of a banjo, a simple three-note chord, paired up with a low-octave piano. Giving the feel of existential dread and an ambiance of desperation. I say this with genuine bravo, as I do believe that all emotions should be welcomed in art.
Let’s fuck like monkeys on the floor!
The lyrics take a sharp turn as the singer rages against an ex-girlfriend on the third line. Calling her out for using sex and empty threats of suicide as a weapon. Insisting the world would be a better place once she follows through with the act. As dark as the lyrics are, I don’t see Rent to Own. as being an anti-woman, violent, manifesto. Rent to Own comes off as someone just purging the inner hatred and heartbreak out of their mind and soul.
This song is filled with raw emotion, diving into the inner shadows of wanting revenge. I don’t believe in censoring art/music for the sake of people who may or may not get nuance of it all. I do believe that media literacy needs to be advocated as it’s in a steady decline. Not every-fucking-song is an admission to being a horrible person or actually genuinely believing fucked up ideologies. Go Hang describes themselves as Anti-folk, and they deliver what they say. This song comes off as a parody of cis-white-male feminists in folk/indie music who claim to be all for women’s rights…until they are exposed to be massive pieces of shit.
Quit: The lyrics pair so well with the bouncin’ beat. Finding myself nodding my head to the beat as I type. Quit‘s lyrics highlight the co-morbidities of fame and mental illness. Bringing attention to the fact that a good chunk of musicians in the 27 club were addicts who made the conscious decision to use their drug of choice. The singer uses his own experience as a comparison, as he laments his own depression and the hopes that fame would cure him by making him an entirely different man.
Well I just want to leave an impression
Just want to believe in something beyond the depression
Fucking same, dude! That line right there hit me like a fucking food truck. As he sings it how it is: Wanting to be famous, or being famous, is a symptom of mental illness. If you weren’t mentally ill before the fame, you certainly will become mentally-ill eventually. Animals don’t strive for critical acclaim, so why do we as humans need that external validation? The ending is a farewell as he acknowledgeds rock bottom of depression, with a promise to fuck anyone who brought him there. I love this song, as I could relate to wanting to leave an impact in spite of adversity. I long to experience this one live with my own eyes (and ears).
From: https://medium.com/@SweetTMarie/album-deep-dive-ghutted-by-go-hang-music-703c7c199dcd
