It is cosmically and comically perfect that Control Top would choose this week to return with their first new release since 2019’s impeccable Covert Contracts. A record of strikingly raw anti-capitalist punk, that album laid bare the poisonous roots of American society, tying narratives of corporate greed and empathy-destroying neoliberalism into 29 pummeling, bracing minutes.
Now, the Philly trio re-emerges into a landscape of capitalist tyranny that is somehow even more unchecked and destructive: in the past week alone we’ve seen workers disenfranchised in real time, voters forced to choose between virus transmission and democratic process, and a near-constant obfuscation of truth from higher powers. What we all need — and what the world seems to need — right now is common decency and empathy; luckily, Control Top’s new dispatch “One Good Day,” premiering today on The FADER, is a call for just that. A song about facing your flaws for the sake of the greater good, it feels like a small light in an avalanche of bad news.
Listen to “One Good Day” above, and read what Control Top had to say about the song below. (And, in the wake of Control Top’s tour being cancelled, support them by buying their records or merch this Friday on Bandcamp, while the service is waiving its fee.)
We set out to write a song with a positive message that didn't sound trite, which is harder said than done. We stayed true to our punk background while also creating something new. "One Good Day" is a song about about a few things: facing your flaws to become a better person for yourself and the people around you, getting outside of yourself to realize everyone has their own struggles and are doing the best they can, and above all trying to help each other even if what we do is imperfect. As frustrating as they can be, our problems--personal, local and global--bind us together. This song feels especially relevant right now. We're in the midst of an unprecedented public health crisis with the coronavirus outbreak. We are forced to consider not only how we affect others but also how others affect us. In no uncertain terms, we see how much we depend on each other every day to survive.