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Get Existential to Golden Drag’s Power Pop Blast “Caught Leaking Light”

The latest solo track from Greys frontman Shehzaad Jiwani comes from the band's debut album 'Pink Sky' out August 10.

The precise nature of the doldrums that eventually wash over the Western millennial is unknown. It could have something to do with the fact that we’re dealing with aging after being pigeonholed as the perennial “young folks” that the older generations don’t get. Maybe our connected existences stress us out. Maybe rent is just too fucking high. This mystery is at the heart of “Caught Leaking Light,” a new song from Golden Drag, the solo project of Greys frontman Shehzaad Jiwani. The track comes from the band's upcoming debut Pink Sky, which releases August 10 via Buzz Records and Moorworks.

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The single is bedroomy power pop that disguises its effortlessness with ramshackle charm and subverts that with caustic lyrics. “Mouth moving non-stop with not a lot to say,” sings Jiwani before a fuzzed-out guitar lead erupts from the mix. “This was the first song that came together for Golden Drag, with the goal of writing a tune that was simple almost to the point of being stupid, then fucking around with it in the studio to make it sit in its own space,” Jiwani tells Noisey. “It's almost like a jingle, except it just has three verses, no chorus, and a Robert Fripp solo.”

Jiwani explains that the song is “about this cycle a lot of people find themselves in towards their mid-to-late twenties of working an unfulfilling job, getting out of your head on the weekend to forget about it, lamenting your decisions on Monday, and repeat come Friday.” To Jiwani, the millennial condition is a loop that continues well into late adulthood and the era of responsibilities: “instead of looking forward to weekends as a fun escape with your friends, it becomes a way to escape yourself.” And the simple construction of “Caught Leaking Light,” little more than early Who power chords and that aforementioned Bowie-in-Berlin solo, is nothing more than a balm. “Juxtaposing that ever-increasing dread with the carefree numbness of the melody was sort of the point,” says Jiwani, “the usual routine always goes down easy, just like this snippy little ditty.” This is quite dark, but the song most definitely is not, so think as hard as you want about the deeper meaning and listen to “Caught Leaking Light” at the top of the page.