This punchy, key-laden affair from Austin, TX band Monarchs is slightly morbid fun at its best. If you think about it, the business casual look is a perfect signifier of that middle-class, suburban, ho-hum, good-but-not-great lifestyle that seems to be the ideal of so many in America these days. Vocalist and keyboardist Celeste Griffin puts an interesting spin on livin’ the “dream,” painting what might seem an argument against just settling for the middle of the road.
Business casual
High heels and a pants suit
Laying in an open casket
you’ve got the world looking down on you
and you look So fantastic
Your skin is flawless and your lips are rouge
In your Open casket
The bounding keyboards and wonderfully off-kilter percussion here are a perfect match for a song that’s pretty cheery, albeit tongue-in-cheek, about leaving a good-looking corpse after living a rather ordinary life. Just listen, it’s fun.
And, if you’re looking for one last taste of that hazy summer you just enjoyed, check out the band’s video for “Date Night.”
