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Following their 2019 debut album Covert Contracts, Philadelphia punk band Control Top have shared their first new music of 2020: a new single called “One Good Day.” Last year, Paste named Covert Contracts one of the best punk albums of 2019.
Control Top return with an essential message in hand: nihilism and cynicism be damned! On “One Good Day,” the band insists that our imperfections as humans shouldn’t prevent us from trying to improve things for ourselves and others. Beside cutting post-punk riffs, Ali Carter sings, “You’re not the only one with problems / We’re all fighting for one good day / Just tell me something positive / I don’t care if it’s cliche.” It’s an exhilarating rallying cry for compassion in the age of austerity, “Instagram face,” unfettered capitalism and mental health crises.
“I set out to write a pop vocal melody with a positive message that didn’t sound trite, which is harder said than done,” Carter says of the song. “I ended up with ‘One Good Day,’ 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.”
Most of the band’s tour dates are in the process of being rescheduled for later in the year, but Control Top are still slated to play Calgary’s Sled Island Festival in June.
Listen to “One Good Day” below.