Violet Grohl’s debut song ‘595’ is sultry and grungy, inspired by a vintage t-shirt that advertised a phone sex line, from which she says she was struck by many of the lines. It is a song which understands how to build, starting off with some stoic drums and an effective, continuous guitar riff, then introducing us to jolts of electric noise. It then drives back down and builds up in a satisfying way which allows us to focus on the lines in the second verse, of which are the most creative lyrically, she sings: “Take me to the river/I’ll be a star in your car/I’ll eat your liver”, a potential Hannibal Lecter reference and suggestion of deeper narrative within the song’s structure.
The lyrics do pose an issue, they lack depth and substance apart from simply being a regurgitation of what Grohl might have found on the t-shirt, the repeated chorus line “I’ll be your 1-900 G-spot, baby(595, I’m on the line)”. They do not provide any dynamism or nuance, the same can be said for the underlying score which could do with more texture and even some additional instruments to flesh it out. The song ends with an outro of heavy electric guitar and drum, however it seems to extend for too long and some of the musical motifs at the end are too repetitive. The song ultimately feels slightly lacking and empty in its construction and lyricism, but is still a fun listen and will be enjoyable to any alternative rock fans.
“VioletGrohl2022” by Raph_PH is licensed under CC BY 2.0.