Girl Tones releases new single “Burnout” laced with angst, modern exhaustion and inevitable self-empowerment
- Autumn Johnstone
- 22 hours ago
- 2 min read
By: Autumn Johnstone
Bold, relevant, and authentically catchy: three words to describe rock-sister duo Girl Tones’ new single, “Burnout.” From the intro, we find ourselves immediately drawn in by lead singer Kenzie’s crispy high range vocals and the band’s raw electric guitar. With steady mid-tempo drumming from Laila, the melody and message of the song is never overpowered — a beautiful balance of edge and clarity.
At first listen, “Burnout” might come off as another rough around the edges song, but it goes deeper than rock and angst. It’s a song about short-term instant gratification and what lengths we can go to avoid burning out (or worse, being in denial of your exhaustion). In our modern age, we are surrounded by constant distractions and fueled by our artificial screens, leading us to rip out so much of ourselves just before we find our true balance of work and play. Luckily for us, we have the perfect song to blare on our car radios as we drive down the long and twisted road that has become our world.
While most of Girl Tones’ music sparks conversations about overcoming anger, “Burnout” is a timely commentary of the constant battle between encouraging our creativity and what society deems as “being productive.”
“Burnout” is unapologetically emotional and undeniably powerful due to its striking lyrics and high-octane style. With a melody similar to many of Cage the Elephant’s songs and a music video that feels like a Natasha Lyonne daydream, this song marks a monumental turning point in Girl Tones’ music. It breaks boundaries and makes its own rules with no room for remorse. Girl Tones personifies female empowerment in the rock sphere unlike any artist before. One lyric that stood out to us for its ingenuity was:
“Strike a matchstick, throw away the arrogance,” Kenzie belts at the top of her lungs as she begins the song’s chorus.
This line suggests that, in order to overcome burn out, we have to acknowledge our emotions and decide to spark change before it’s too late. We restart our lives because of the destruction that burn out causes — we begin to rebuild ourselves because we were once broken. Girl Tones teaches us to reclaim our personal power because it’s what we deserve.
The heart of Girl Tones’ music lies open to your interpretation and your own version of rock ‘n’ roll. So, how do you keep up with the chaos of life and overcome burn out? Take a listen and find out.
Follow Girl Tones: https://www.instagram.com/girl.tones