Doncaster, England’s finest rock star YUNGBLUD has shared his first release of the year, “The Funeral,” a vibrant high-energy tune that sees the young icon open up even further about his insecurities in order to take control of his life and his identity while, once again, inspiring others to do the same. The track, which was teased a week prior with a handwritten message inviting fans to the artist’s funeral, certainly has all the elements characteristic of YUNGBLUD — raging guitars, a sick drumline, and anthemic lyrics — however, it somehow feels more personal and grounding than anything he’s ever put out before.
Produced by long-term collaborator Chris Greatti (Blink 182, Pussy Riot, Poppy), “The Funeral” not only has a very remarkable ’80s vibe with a modern twist, but it almost feels like a combination of synth rock and Britpop with a sprinkle of The Beatles to tie it all together. Lyrically, YUNGBLUD — aka Dominic Harrison — seemed to have pressed pause on the cynical take of modern life to do a quick introspective analysis. “I’d spent a lot of time in the last 18 months grappling with who I really want to be. I’ve honestly just felt like a bit of a hypocrite lately. I’d spent the past 4 years telling people to be unapologetically themselves and to not care about what others think and realized that was something I needed to tell myself. I felt a lot of pressure, a lot of insecurity, a lot of questioning myself. But then I wrote this song and it distilled for me what this next phase in my life, not just my career, was gonna be about,” he said in a press release.
This sentiment is very cleverly mirrored in the song. During the first verse, YUNGBLUD’s voice is very low and almost quiet as he starts to open up with the lines, “I can’t leave my bed but I can’t sleep / I got no clean clothes and I can’t eat and I smoke too much till I can’t breathe / I’m emotional I’ll always be.” As the track’s instrumentation grows moving from chorus to chorus, so does his confidence until his signature raging vocals explode as he sings, “I’ve been dancing at my funeral / waiting for you to arrive / I was hoping you’d look beautiful / dancing with tears in your eyes.” Finally, seemingly having fully realized and come to terms with himself, the track closes with a series of “ooooohs” in harmony that can be felt as a response from his fans that he’s not alone in his journey — this will without a doubt be one of the most special live moments in his upcoming shows.
Speaking of live shows, the track is accompanied by a music video where the young star is actually dancing at his funeral’s concert surrounded by loads of people. He managed to borrow the iconic skull car from Quentin Tarantino’s very own Death Proof, which he rides around in on the video, as well. The video also features Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, who casually happen to run over him (“just a poser”) as he’s leaving the concert — every rockstar’s dream.
