Lockdown fatigue song "Friends Like This" by Hey Violet

Here's the newest song from Hey Violet, best known for "Guys My Age" from several years ago. It's a corona song that's not about the anxiety caused by the disease threat itself, unlike "Level of Concern" by Twenty One Pilots from last year. It's more about the boredom, restlessness, and frustration over social isolation caused by the protocols that were supposed to curb the pandemic (but which have failed and nevertheless seem to be here indefinitely).

Hopefully it's a sign that public attitudes have begun to turn against the protocols, having saddled everyone with such a crushing burden, while delivering no protection for the vulnerable. If people felt like there were an even trade-off, I don't think young alt bands would be grumbling about the costs needed to save old people. Rather, we didn't save hardly any of them last fall / winter, but we've had to put up with this insane degradation of our daily lives nonetheless. It has been lose-lose, not a trade-off.

The tone is subdued for now, not aggressive enough to qualify as a protest anthem, but still an earnest plea mixed with some black humor, to show that it's a serious matter. Serious enough to induce gallows humor, and to cause people to air their grievances. It's like "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash, just less fed-up and sick-of-it-all.

But the longer these burdens drag on, with no benefits to be enjoyed, the mood will get more insistent and confrontational, a la "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister. Still, changing behaviors have to start somewhere.