Cuffed Up “Bonnie” and Dave Matthews Band “Crash Into Me,” the new DLC coming this Thursday to the Rock Band Music Store, offer two very different aural examinations of navigating the dense, thorny landscape of interpersonal relationships.
“Bonnie,” from Cuffed Up’s sophomore EP, Asymmetry, finds the L.A.-based pop-punk quartet serving up a driving and propulsive three-and-a-half minute masterclass in thoughtful songwriting. Singers and guitarists Ralph Torrefranca and Sapphire Jewell trade off vocal duties while interweaving gnarly, angular guitar lines over the restless, intricate rhythms laid down by drummer Joe Liptock and bassist Victor Ordonez. “Bonnie” is an anti-love reimagining of the tale of real-life 1930s bank robbers and doomed lovers Bonnie and Clyde. As the band explained at the time of the song’s release in the fall of 2021, the song is, “about the grief and pitfalls of a serious relationship crumbling due to lies and deceit. This is explored through the eyes of Bonnie, in an alternative universe where Clyde selfishly leaves Bonnie for dead. Bonnie is arrested and she decides to give Clyde up to the cops out of pure spite. Not because he left her in a dangerous situation – purely because of the end of their romantic, albeit toxic relationship.” Heady stuff, to be sure, but the track’s lyrical narrative perfectly matches up with the expansive and distorted soundscape that creates a sense of tension, defeat, and defiance. From the minimalist drum and snare tattoo that begins “Bonnie” to the intense call-and-response verses that lead to the hot-blooded release of the infectious chorus, Cuffed Up takes listeners on a modern-day getaway ride every bit as visceral as the literal escapes of the song’s title characters nearly a century ago. You’re sure to have your hands full mastering this one!
“Crash Into Me,” the third single from Dave Matthews Band’s second LP, 1996’s Crash, made it to number 7 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1997, was nominated for a Grammy, and has secured a permanent spot on the… “intimate” playlists of many a couple in the years since. Written solely by Matthews, the track is haunting, atmospheric, and striking in its unadorned beauty. The song is thick with acoustic guitar magic conjured by Matthews and guest player Tim Reynolds, supported by the deceptively complex percussive work of drumming powerhouse Carter Beauford and Stefan Lessard’s tasteful, uncluttered bass line. As with many DMB cuts, the arrangement of “Crash Into Me” is augmented by apposite placement of violin, horn, and whistle accents. Lyrically oblique, which is likely a good thing (Matthews has noted, “This song is about the worship of women,” but from the perspective of a “little bit of a crazy man”), the track is malleable enough to mean whatever each listener wants it to mean – a powerful quality “Crash Into Me” shares with many enduring hits. This song was unavoidable and undeniable in the late ‘90s, and you didn’t hear anyone complaining! If you’ve not yet been exposed to this benchmark achievement for Dave Matthews Band, now’s the time to collide at top speed with “Crash Into Me.”
Cuffed Up “Bonnie” and Dave Matthews Band “Crash Into Me” are available for $1.99 each.
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*Please note that this week’s DLC tracks will be available for purchase on Thursday, December 8th.