Dominic Harrison (Yungblud) is an artist known for speaking out against the government along with those of the upper class in some of his music. He has now turned his attention to focusing on the issues that his supporters are facing. He is constantly challenging the social norms of today’s world and is all about being yourself and not caring what others think of you. If there’s one thing to note about Dom, is he listens and cares deeply for his fans, even having free Meet and Greets before and after each one of his shows. Not only does he create masterpieces, but he unites people together, advocates for change, uses his platform for good, and travels alongside his fans in the often-difficult journey of life. Through the EP, not only is there hope for the future of music, but there is clearly ‘hope for the underrated youth’.
His newest EP “the underrated youth” was written entirely for his fanbase and based off of stories he has heard from them. “If you look at my generation, the one common denominator is the drive, the passion and the fight for unity,” he says. “We are not bratty kids fighting for attention. We are intelligent and understand what we want.” This was also a way to express his own feelings about issues he has taken notice of in today’s world. ‘Parents’ on the EP is an insane track about older generations reluctance in taking the younger generations seriously, expressing that there is hope that his generation will help shape a better future. One of the more powerful lines in this song are “My daddy put a gun to my head, said ‘if you kiss a boy, I’m gonna shoot you dead’” signifying how it tends to be older generations who are not accepting of their kids being a part of the LGBTQ+ community. He goes on to talk about the fact that parents argue that they always know what’s right for their kids, when in reality the only person who could possibly know what is right for yourself, is you.
While there are some songs on this EP that are fast paced and high energy, there is one that stands out from the others. ‘casual sabotage’ has to be one of the most talked about songs off of this new EP. He does not beat around the bush with this one, diving headfirst into real problems. The thing about this track is that people say what they believe the meaning of the song is, but how can one decide which one is correct? Well, the answer is simpler than you would expect. The song was made for every person, meaning we can all interpret the situation at hand and be able to connect it back to ourselves in some way. There is something so personal about this track, the openness and vulnerability of it allows us to be able to get a look into what younger generations are going through in their life.
Within the first verse, it is explained that this boy hides in camouflage all because “they” wanted him to do so. Artists are often manipulated by their manager or record companies, telling them what they can and cannot speak/post about. This boy is being controlled and manipulated by whoever “they” are. But at the same time “they” love him, and “they” need him. Again, higher-ups in the music business will praise their artists in various ways but also take advantage of them and try to control every little thing the artist does. All this confusion messes with the boy’s head, which is the “casual sabotage” of his sanity (McDonald).
The boy’s existence is largely dependent on the impulses of the others who push him around. He does not like this. But it looks as if he has no other options. It’s a death ride to be loved and hated by the same people. He needs some help from someone else in giving him clarity on what to do because he cannot figure it out on his own.
The chorus has some of the more meaningful lyrics to them. This person is coming to terms with knowing that there is something wrong with them. Unfortunately, due to whoever “they” are, this boy cannot speak out on how he is feeling without fearing that he will upset these people. Not being able to speak out is becoming too difficult for this boy to the point he cannot take it anymore but is still reassuring himself that he needs to exist and still has more to prove in this world. This one particular line in the song “I need to exist” has been making its rounds in Yungblud’s fandom (known as the BHC or Black Hearts Club), as many of his fans are getting this line tattooed on them. This specific lyric resonated with many fans’ hearts. Unfortunately, the sad truth behind that is because there are some people who can’t face the world anymore. It has beaten them down to their core, but the way this song is written the line “I need to exist” is played a lot longer than the rest to show its significance and that really can pull right at those people’s hearts. When singing these lyrics, people who may have intents to harm themselves stop and think about the fact that no I do belong here and have a purpose and that is what YungBlud’s brand is all about.
This song is as deep for the fans as it is for Yungblud himself and shows the trust in each other always seems to go both ways. ‘causal sabotage’ is a beautiful track that requires no fancy additives, relying on its depth, vulnerability and rawness to fuel a connection.
Citation:
- McDonald, Adam. “YUNGBLUD – Casual Sabotage (Lyrics Review and Song Meaning).” Justrandomthings, 22 Oct. 2019, justrandomthings.com/2019/10/22/yungblud-casual-sabotage-lyrics-review-and-song-meaning/.
