Title: “Mayday Awaits”Artist: My Girl Friday
From: TBA Debut Album (2013/2014)
Release Date: October 13, 2013
Length: 5:24
Format: CD Single, Digital Download, 7” Single, Weekly Airplay
Recorded: September 2013 - Avatar Studios, New York City, New York
Genres: Pop-Punk, Alternative Rock, Emo
Label: Songs to Love and Die By
Written: September 2013
Writer(s): Amelia Fontaine, Austin Bowen, Joel Stone
Producer(s): My Girl Friday, Amy Meyer, Christian Fallon
‘My Girl Friday’ are pretty much a complete unknown in the music industry thus far. They were announced as the newest act to sign for the Amy Meyer led record label ‘Songs to Love and Die By’ and have really not been spoken about in any real terms since being signed to the label, until this afternoon however. Their official website was launched and we learnt a little about the band and the five people that are part of it, but to our surprise we received an email from Ms. Meyer herself in which she offered us the very first listen of ‘My Girl Friday’s’ debut single and we must say, we are impressed by what we have heard this morning. It feels like a breath of fresh air, albeit a slightly dark and painful breath and we couldn’t help but wonder, is emo coming back? We as much as we enjoyed that period of alternative music hope not, that period has passed and has left some sort of mark both metaphorically and literally on the fans that were part of that scene.
But listening to the words and theme of the debut single from albeit a pop-punk group, we couldn’t help but be taken back to that period of music. It was heart-warming for those of us with fond memories of the genre. But let’s for a moment, talk about the band behind this emotional rollercoaster of a track. ‘My Girl Friday’ are a five-piece band that hail from Brooklyn, New York. They’re fronted by a female singer, sound familiar? Of course, the comparisons will come flying in with Riot! In The Boulevard, they aren’t all that similar though, just to make it very clear. Their female frontwoman is called ‘Amelia Fontaine’ and her vocals have a much rougher sound than those of the iconic red-haired woman from that other band. However, in ‘My Girl Friday’ there is a vocal duty that is shared often at times, between ‘Amelia’ and rhythm guitarist ‘Austin Bowen’, his voice sounding a lot more crisp and tender than his female counterpart and the two appear to have a good chemistry with each other, their vocals combine well and are distinct enough to make a song from this band, even after the first listen almost instantly recognizable.
Those two are also joined by some very talented musicians, Joel Hudson provides the majority of instrumental thrills as lead guitarist, a sort of hybrid of classic rock riffs and early 2000’s fast-paced pop-punk riffs. There’s also bassist and drummer Zach Hudson and Charlie Costello, they seem to work well together, at least on this debut single, the drum and bass don’t have too much to do in the song but seem to keep things flowing and keep things dramatic which is a mark of their abilities that already we hope to see shine for a long time.
So let’s just talk a little about the song, its theme is one that is surprising. To release a five minute plus song about suicide is a bold move for even the most established acts in the industry, but as a debut single is a risky move. Whether it best represents what this band’s sound is or not remains to be seen, and we won’t really find out what that sound is until we hear their full debut album. But on first listen, we were somewhat torn. It’s a song that sticks in your memory after you’ve listened to it, and it’s potentially an anthem of sorts for a teenage fanbase. For some, it may be very well be a grower, but for others it could be a disaster, some will no doubt view it negatively. I can imagine terms like ‘glorifying suicide’ will be used to describe the song in some quarters and to an extent we agree, it’s the romantic view of such a dark topic that throws us. We do like the song, it’s interesting and feels slightly different. But it does pose certain questions and already there is potential that this band could be completely attacked from day one because of the romantic notion that they bring to a song about suicide, lyrically it’s tailor made for a horde of sad teenagers.
But that’s part of the problem, the story of the song is about a couple that are going through a difficult time in their lives, it’s not stated what the difficulty is, but from what we hear it would appear that the two people in the song only have each other and battle through a depression in their lives. They have both made a pact to leave the world together in the spring, which is where the title ‘Mayday Awaits’ comes from. However, the male in the song tells his partner that he can’t hang on any longer, he leaves a message for his partner to inform her that he’s going to end his life that evening and asks her to not come home because he doesn’t want her to see him dead. This throws there plans to die together in the spring into disruption but the female in the song promises that she’ll stick to the plan that they made. She promises that she’ll still meet her lover in the spring, meaning she will go ahead with their planned suicide alone. Dark themes for a band, did we mention that the members of this band are all only nineteen years old? So, there you have the debut single from ‘My Girl Friday’, it will gain this new band a lot of new fans, we know exactly the sort of fans that they will gain with this single, but it will also make some enemies for ‘My Girl Friday’. We’d guess that their other songs won’t quite be as extreme as this, but it’s certainly a bold move from the outset!
- Written by ‘Alter The Press’
Lyrics“We’ve been through a lot lately, it’s been a rough year
It doesn’t appear to be getting any easier
So when I leave, meet me there
I know that we both had it all planned out
That we’d hold on a little longer
Then come the spring
We’d both pass out
But I just can’t wait any longer
I need to go now
I can’t suffer through this pain
There’s nothing that can fix this f*cked up soul
So promise that we’ll meet again
When spring comes around
I’ll be here for you
Standing at the gates
When mayday awaits
These are the problems
I’m struggling to hold on too
But I’m not quite ready to leave this world
I need to see our plan through
If I have to do it without you, then that is what I’ll do
But I’ll never ever forget you
I’ll see you very soon
I’m sorry I can’t take your call, please leave a message at the tone
Baby it’s me, please don’t come home tonight
Don’t worry darlin’ I’m alright
I’ve just had another rough day
I tried to get some sleep
But it’s no use
The thought of tomorrow is keeping me awake
I don’t want to be awake no more
So please don’t come home
I don’t want you to see me the way that I’ll be
The cops will call you
But I’ve written a note explaining everything
I know it’s not how we planned
But when May comes around I’ll meet you wherever is next for us
Baby hold on tight
Goodnight
I don’t blame you
There’s only so much pain someone can face
I hope it’s nice where you are
I hope you’ve found a better place
I’ll be there real soon
I miss your touch on my skin
I know I’m facing a losing battle
But part of me still thinks I can win
But I’ll be there
That’s a guarantee
When spring comes around
That’s when you’ll see me
I’m counting down the days, until I see you face again
Until I touch your skin
So meet me at the pearly gates
I’m counting down the days
Because mayday awaits
I can’t wait to see your face again
I can’t wait to hold you close
In a more beautiful world than the one before
I’ll always love you, evermore
So you’ll find me, meet me at the pearly gates
I’m counting down the days
Because mayday awaits
Here it is, my time has come
Mayday is here, it’s time to run
Run from the sadness that I’ve known all my life
End the darkness of trouble and strife
I’ve held on long enough
Mayday is here
I have the pills and the razor blades
No regrets and no fears
No more hiding
No more lying
Because a long sleeve, a fake smile
And everybody thinks you’re fine
But this is it for me
It’s where I need to be
So when you talk about me
Don’t tell people that I died from suicide
Tell them I died from sadness
I’m counting down the days, until I see you face again
Until I touch your skin
So meet me at the pearly gates
I’m counting down the days
Because mayday awaits
We are beautiful lost souls, creators of destruction
We can paint stunning pictures, but our stories have a twist
Our paintbrush is a razor
Our canvas is our wrist
So meet me at the gates
When mayday awaits"PersonnelAmelia Fontaine – lead vocals, lyrics, composition, production
Austin Bowen – vocals, rhythm guitar, lyrics, composition, production
Zach Hudson – bass guitar, composition, production
Joel Stone – lead guitar, lyrics, composition, production
Charlie Costello – drums, percussion, composition, production
Amy Meyer – production, mixing, engineering
Christian Fallon – production, mixing
