Song of the Day: Muncie Girls – Balloon

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole, is “Balloon” by Muncie Girls from the 2016 album From Caplan To Belsize on Animal Style Records.

Muncie Girls – Balloon (MP3)

As the phrase goes, the personal is undoubtedly political, and Muncie Girls know this by heart, imbuing their razor-sharp punk dynamics with pointed, unflinching declarations strength and empathy. The lineup of drummer Luke Ellis, guitarist Dean McMullen, and bassist/vocalist Lande Hekt solidified in 2012, not long before the Exeter, UK group began touring and recording increasingly regularly, culminating in their 2016 debut, From Caplan To Belsize. Titled with a Sylvia Plath reference, the album is powered by the trio's knack for fiery, ragged hooks and Hekt's direct and spot-on lyricism. Like the rest of the songs on the album, "Balloon" pulls no punches when it comes to its subject matter (the nature of victim-shaming culture), but it does so with a magnetic bombast. McMullen's buzzing guitar riffs bounce off Ellis's massive drum patterns for an electric three minutes until they reach a rallying finale centered around Hekt's final line – "Everyone knows that it's not your fault/everyone knows but you." "Balloon" is undoubtedly a heavy tune, both thematically and compositionally, but it doesn't come across as unapproachable in the least. Rather, it cleverly uses power chords to (hopefully) expand perspective both inside the sweaty punk club and the world outside of it.

Muncie Girls have a string of UK dates coming up but have not yet announced plans to come Stateside in 2016. Keep up with the group on their Facebook and website, and watch the video for the From Caplan to Belsize track "Respect" below.