05. Single Review of Didn’t Peak in High School by Menna

Originally published July 3rd, 2024

About the Artist

Menna is an independent artist currently living in Nashville, Tennessee but originally from Austin, Texas. “Raised in a large family of jazz musicians and garage rockers,” (Menna, bio Spotify) it sounds like music has been a big part of her life. As an independent artist, Menna has already experienced a bit success. In 2022, she was featured at the Nashville event “River on the Rooftop” along with acclaimed artist Avril Lavigne. She has had her music featured in ads and Netflix Originals. 

Menna will be performing at The 5 Spot in Nashville on the 19th of July, 2024. If you’re in the Nashville area- hell, if you’re NOT in the Nashville area- don’t miss your chance to see Menna live and in concert!

Didn’t Peak in High School

Some people like to start their morning with a fresh cup of coffe, maybe a toasted bagel with an even spread of cream cheese. I like to start mine with a perfectly layered blend of distorted guitars, a disciplined drummer that flourishes in the pocket, and a vocalist that sings a song like they mean it. Suffice it to say, my day is off to a great start because it began with Menna’s new release of “Didn't Peak in High School.”

This song puts off the same vibe that Pink did when she came onto the scene twenty years ago. Pink didn’t exactly join the pop community, she laced up a pair of combat boots, kicked the door down, and infiltrated it. Menna has the same capacity to change the narrative of, not only pop music, but pop culture as a whole. Commercialism will continue to try to tell our society that we want things a certain way and it will try to take talented young people and make clones out of this idea they have. As long as we have heroes like Menna, Pink, and Avril Lavigne, we will have the choice to align ourselves with a community we feel comfortable with.

Musically, “Didn’t Peak in High School” is the prototype of a solid punk-pop performance. The instruments provide a robust and supportive backdrop to the vocal talent posessed by Menna. Reviewing her entire catalog of work, she has truly evolved from a pure R&B sound to an edgier, multi-faceted vocalist who displays the capability to be elite over a number of genres. 

Lyrically, one could not ask for more. Menna takes a couple of well directed shots at a presumed bully in a tactful yet humorous way, while also generally displaying a gratefulness to how things have worked out. Starting out, “I cut my hair like Halle Berry/ my freshman year didn’t go over to well.” I love the cut-to jab at herself to set the scene as we hear some of the moments that stuck with her. Then we jump into the chorus. The highlight here is definitely “If they could see me now/Oh wait. They do,” is playfully realized as Menna acknowledges that she is making the most of her life and her career. Karmically, maybe enjoying where she is a little more than some from her past. Lastly, my favorite line, “They laughed at my dreams/ Now they’re on Facebook selling pyramid schemes.” I love this. Anybody who has ever been bullied can relate when they are vindicated by Karma, our friend.

Final Thoughts

“Didn’t Peak in High School,” is a fresh, upbeat, and edgy song that will motivate all of its listeners. The instrumentation exhibits high energy and Menna will have you jumping on your desk and singing along without a care in the world of who might be watching. So, go check out Menna’s BRAND NEW SINGLE “Didn’t Peak in High School,” streaming RIGHT NOW!

And Heather, we still don’t want your leggings.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

71. Album Review of Ruined Castle by Kid Lightbulbs

Originally Published on December 4th About the Artist This is the segment of the review where I generally introduce the artist before digging into the analysis of their work. And I am going to do that. But first. We Have to Talk About Radiohead When I was in high school,  I had heard of  Radiohead . I had a couple sentences at the ready for talking points. “I like  Paranoid Android ,” I would say if they were ever brought up in conversation. But, I was into my  Jars of Clay  phase with aspirations of being a Youth Pastor. Music was just this thing I knew I was good at that everybody ELSE expected me to do. It was not a priority for me. It wasn’t until;  in my quest to get to know this girl I was interested in, I bought  OK Computer  in the summer of 2000, that my attention would be reallocated to Radiohead. It was actually on the way home from a youth trip. I had just bought it at a music store when we stopped at a mall for lunch. I popped my bran...
Read more

01. Introducing…

Originally published June 26, 2024 Hello one and hello all! My name is Jeff Thomas. I am from Nashville, Tennessee. I work on the servicing side of the financial industry. I’m married to my beautiful wife, Naomi and we live with our three college/high school-aged teenagers and our three dogs;  Slim ,  Kali , and  Barnaby . If you follow me on any of my  social media platforms , I’m sure you’ve seen them. For hobbies, I love gardening, cooking, spending time with my family, traveling, watching movies with my wife, listening to podcasts and audio books with my wife and ALL THINGS MUSIC! As an  independent recording artist myself , I love writing, composing, and recording my own music. I am a fan of all music; my taste is pretty diverse. In fact, there is no one genre I don’t like. To give you an idea of where my tastes land, some of my favorite artists are  Radiohead  (and all subsequent  solo ,  side projects ,  compositions , etc)  ...
Read more

11. Single Review of Shades of Green by Changeling

Originally published July 11th, 2024 About the Artist Changeling are a rock band from  Indianapolis , Indiana. They formed in July of 2022, with their debut recording, “ Keep it Coming ,” releasing in 2023. They are vocalist, Zachary Smith, lead guitar, David Minton, Cameron Bender on the bass, and Andrew Dawson on the drums. Changeling hope to gain traction with their fan base by steadily releasing a few singles with hopes of releasing an album in the future. If you would like the opportunity to check Changeling out live, you can see them November 1st, at The Healer in Indianapolis! Shades of Green “ Shades of Green ” is a single released on July 5th and runs at Two minutes, Thirty-two seconds. It is a mid to upbeat tempo, with quieter verses leading to building choruses. “Shades of Green” features instrumental performances on guitar, bass guitar, drums, and vocals. The lyrics were written and performed by Zachary Smith. About the Music Though Changeling are much more of a traditi...
Read more