New Jersey-based multi-instrumentalist Ryan Struck isn’t one to sit still, not even in the middle of a pandemic. With new collaborative music coming out soon, Struck is also releasing tunes under the moniker Scary Hours.
With Scary Hours, Struck has traveled down different musical paths, ranging from acoustic (anti)folk to scathing punk rock. While the styles may be different, his lyrics are always topical and raw.
Scary Hours recently unleashed the searing single “Precision Grooming” (through Pyrrhic Victory Recordings) with an accompanying performance music video (with Struck wearing an “I Can’t Breathe” t-shirt) by Daily Grime Media that was premiered via Hardcore Worldwide.
Struck and his bandmates go at it full-force, slamming through the track in a frenzied attack of rapid-fire, well, EVERYTHING!
While there’s a lot to unpack in the song’s lyrics, one main theme is the fact that individuals in America are groomed from birth by the government, religion, news/social media, the workplace, and even by family members to live a certain way, and to believe in certain things, and to not break free from the norms that have been instilled and upheld over generations – That this insidious shaping of our lives is just part of the tradition of American culture.
And Struck goes into it even deeper into the meaning of the song, which is about this systemic oppression, but also specifically about the cold-blooded murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin.
Struck states, “The lyrics were based on a relevant quote from the works of Carter G. Woodson: “When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his 'proper place' and will stay in it.””
“While we are pleased with Chauvin’s conviction, we recognize that the entire criminal justice system has been designed by and for the elite white capitalist class while the working class and marginalized communities are groomed to remain powerless.”
“Civil disobedience is curtailed by maintaining the American laborer’s status as an economic hostage.”
“We really wanted to put this out for Chauvin’s sentencing date [of June 25th] as a statement.”
“The video is dark and… fast and uncomfortable and we’re really stoked on how it came out.”
Purchase “Precision Grooming” (and read the lyrics in full and check out the single artwork by John Steinheimer) as a limited edition lathe-cut 7" with an exclusive b-side that will only be available to those who order the 7".
https://scaryhours.bandcamp.com/
https://pyrrhicvictoryrecordings.com/
https://www.instagram.com/scaryhoursnj
https://www.facebook.com/scaryhoursnj
