I love a song that takes me back, and “SOS” by Sueco, featuring Travis Barker, does exactly that. The new pop-punk track takes Sueco — formerly known as Sueco the Child — in a bit of a different direction. As an artist who has consistently been completely defying genres, Sueco continues to push the boundaries with this new one.
The track was produced by Barker (of Blink-182 fame) and dwilly (Mike Posner, Ty Dolla $ign, Trevor Daniel), with additional production by Colin “DOC” Brittain (5 Seconds of Summer, All Time Low). With the collaborative effort, “SOS” has all the trappings of an early-2000s emo-boy song, something that probably felt right at home for Barker.
It’s a little bit pop, a little bit electronic, and definitely heavy on punk, for a fun fusion from these musicians. “SOS” is also a wildly relatable tune about loss, with the repeated prechorus lyrics: “I do my best and I get nothing, I’m selfish / I only hit your line when I need something, I’m helpless / Using your words as a weapon, yeah / 911, I need a medic.”
“SOS” draws you in right from the beginning with the pounding keys before Sueco drops in with all his alt vibes. The keys remain the driving force behind the entire track and even gets its own feature partway through the song before Sueco comes back in for one last round of the chorus.
This is the first release by Sueco since last year’s “PRIMADONA.” Prior to that, he dropped a number of hits, including “Smackdown,” “Juice,” and “fast,” which blew up on TikTok after its 2019 release. Each new song from the artist has been a little different from the last as Sueco settles into a sound that’s uniquely his own, and “SOS” is no different.
I can’t even begin to tell you how perfect this song would be for a Warped Tour, circa 2000, but I’m hopeful when live music comes back that this song will find a home at a Sueco show. We’ll just to wait and see.
