Skip to main content

Maverick Ad

Home

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Cover Stories
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Legacy Awards
  • Past Covers
  • Weekly Archive
Grunge Alt-Rockers NeoNera Reevaluate Society’s Misguided “Saviour” Complex in New Single & Video

Breadcrumb

  • Home
  • Grunge Alt-Rockers NeoNera Reevaluate Society’s Misguided “Saviour” Complex in New Single & Video
Grunge Alt-Rockers NeoNera Reevaluate Society’s Misguided “Saviour” Complex in New Single & Video
Fri Nov 06, 2020
Cashbox Canada

Canadian grunge alt-rockers NeoNera reevaluate society’s misguided “Saviour” complex in this, their new single and video release.

The Ottawa-based three-piece that is Dylan Gunnell, Evan McCluskey, and Stephanie Leger are on a dedicated mission to dismantle the world’s toxic cocktail of conceit, artificiality, perfection and celebrity worship through a heady combination of progressive percussion, driving bass, manic riffs and prescient lyrics.

“Saviour” is no exception as the band unveils a song about “men who believe women need to be saved both from society and from themselves,” Gunnell explains. “The superhero in the video is a man who wants to save, help and support women, but fails because he doesn’t understand them.

“Unfortunately, he’s most men.”

Watch and experience “Saviour” here:

True to the band’s ethos to dig deep within both society’s ails and their own — a direction first heard on their eponymously titled 2017 debut EP, NeoNera — the song’s concept reveals something further…

For a time, “he” was Gunnell, the frontman shares.

“The song is deeply personal for me,” Gunnell expands. “It gets to the heart of who I was and who I am now as a person.

“There are parts of me, and I believe many men, whose actions are captured by the lyrics of the song and the characters within the animation — specifically the monster in the forest. These are things that are hard to admit because it means exploring who you are and asking, ‘am I good?’ ‘Am I a good man?’

“This song was written by a different person,” he marvels. “When I wrote the lyrics ten years ago, I thought I was one of the good ones. I used to believe women could be convinced to accept themselves outside the norms of society to be saved from society’s expectations of them.

“What it really amounted to, however, was trying to convince women to become who I wanted them to be. This is obviously wrong, and it’s something I’ve worked long and hard to change.

“That’s not to say there aren’t times women need support from men, but we should do this by voting to ensure their reproductive rights are upheld, and respecting a woman’s choice for how she wants to be rather than projecting our fantasies, wants and desires on them.

“So am I good now? The lyrics take on new meaning now as I understand exactly what I was. I mean, I knew what I was, but I wasn’t willing to accept it. This is how we grow; part of what I love so much about music and writing lyrics is the ability I have to get these feelings out there — to know where I was, and to remind myself of where I need to be.

Beyond the ‘superhero,’ “Saviours” video is rife with additional symbolism. “The doll in the video is bound in chains of her own making, and is the parallel to the actress in the video,” McCluskey says. “Eventually she breaks her chains, realizing she doesn’t need anyone but herself to be saved.

“The doll represents the modern woman,” he continues. “Open-minded, intelligent, and unwilling to let society, or even those closest to her, dictate who she will be.”

“The monster in the forest represents the unwanted attention women face,” Leger adds. “Perception is everything and, while a man believes he is being romantic, a woman may feel hunted.

“The cat is the corrupt politician who believes they know what’s best for people and uses religion, regardless of whether they are devout or not, for profit and power. The crosses represent an attack on women’s reproductive rights, way of life, and the fight for equality.

“Ultimately, the superhero cannot defeat the cat or the crosses because he doesn’t understand what the doll actually needs in order to be saved.”

“‘Saviour’ is representative of the band as a whole, both in sound and lyrics,” Gunnell says. “We’re living in a neon era where the bigger and brighter, the better.

“As a band, we’re about revealing uncomfortable truths, even those deep within ourselves. We are inspired to write about injustices in our systems, but also look inside ourselves. Because of the writing process, it’s cathartic — it allows us to explore ourselves and reevaluate who we are as people.”

“We know music can only go so far, but our hope is that people will reflect on what they hear. So if the lyrics and images from ‘Saviour’ make you uncomfortable as a man, that’s a good thing — it means you’ve got a chance to be better.”

For more on NeoNera visit:
neoneramusic.com/home
instagram.com/neoneramusic/
facebook.com/neoneramusic
open.spotify.com/artist/223W41uv1sDGhrnogBt3B7

Reviews
Album
NeoNera
Month: Feb 2023
Meredith Moon Stars Align for Toronto Singer-Songwriter Meredith Moon For the launch of her…
Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy Canvas Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy Create A Musical Canvas With New Studio Album…
The Wandering Off Calgary’s The Wandering Off Captures Attention With “Hey There”
Aroly Tariq Melbourne, Australia-Based Artist Aroly Tariq Releases Modern Trip-Hop Ballad “…
Joe Kenney Award-Winning Philadelphia Pianist and Songwriter Joe Kenney Returns With Stunning…
Elliott Landy Elliott Landy Presents VOLUME 2 THE BAND PHOTOGRAPHS: ON KICKSTARTER
Matilde G 20,000 Streams in 24 Hours: Singapore-Based Matilde G Scorns Heartbreak In New…
Rusty Creek Vancouver Folk/Roots Group Rusty Creek Dedicate New Single and Video “Bombs Away…
The Goodstock Project UK Rockers The Goodstock Project Release Soaring, Stadium-Shaking “Be The One”
Said Sara San Francisco-Based Said Sara Release Stark Acoustic Ballad 'Same'
Sarantos Sarantos
Fog Blues & Brass Band Kitchener’s Fog Blues & Brass Band Banish The Sadness On “Why Get Up” Single
People of the Sun PEOPLE OF THE SUN Release “Kayâs (A Long Time Ago)” From Latest Self-Titled Album
Feez Da Popstar Charlotte-Honolulu Based Rapper Feez Da Popstar Realizes True Love In “All I…
Tatiana Moroz Folk/Country And Web3 Leader TATIANA MOROZ Set To Release ‘Love Songs For…

Pagination

  • First page « First
  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • …
  • Page 88
  • Page 89
  • Page 90
  • Page 91
  • Current page 92
  • Page 93
  • Page 94
  • Page 95
  • Page 96
  • …
  • Next page Next ›
  • Last page Last »

CEO/PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF
SANDY GRAHAM

email:sandygrahamemg@gmail.com 

Canadian Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Don Graham
email: dongrahamwriter@gmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Lisa Hartt
email: lisahartt87@hotmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada 
Michael Williams
email: greydread@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

International Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Malin Osth
email: malin@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Jonas Tancred
email: jonas@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - USA
Rob Durkee 
email: rockster2746@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Web Developer/Technical Support
Chris Wardman

email: info@chriswardman.com
website: chriswardman.com

Cashbox Cover Design and Graphic Artist
Jain McMillan

email: jainmcmillan@gmail.com

Contributing Photographer 
Tracey Savein - South Paw Productions
southpawproductions@rogers.com

 

 

 

Footer menu

  • Home
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Archive
  • Issue Archive
  • Past Covers