Jonah Matranga is a busy guy. Not only does the Far/onelinedrawing vocalist have a new album on the way with UK band Sons of Alpha Centauri, he’s also one of many emo/post-hardcore guest vocalists on the upcoming star-studded album from Plutocracy Planet, the “super-collective” led by Alarm Magazine editor and musician Scott Morrow. He sings guest lead vocals on the song “But You Said” and also stars in the video, and that premieres in this post.
The song starts out in mind-bendy experimental rock territory, before making an unexpected 180 and turning into one of the heaviest songs we’ve heard from Jonah in years (or, ever?). He takes on some Bleach-era Nirvana vibes as he sings and screams about the frustrations of trying to have sensible conversations on the internet. Jonah explains:
Lyrically, “BUT YOU SAID” is basically about the beyond-frustrating feeling of trying to talk sense these days, especially on the internet. It’s digging into why communication is such a mess in the age of communication. I’m sad about the lack of thoughtful thinking in our culture and the ways that’s engineered, manipulated, and perpetuated by so-called social networks.
Nonsensical clickbait hot takes have become the law of the land. I’ve been addicted to my upset around all that in the past. Now I’m in recovery from that compulsive behavior, and this song helps me take a breath and pause when I want to all-caps tantrum about whatever algorithm-elevated stupidity I might see floating through the timeline.
As for the sound of the track, it was just a blast to play with Scott’s wild, weird, dynamic piece of music and see what my voice could do to express these overwhelming feelings. It’s an actual epic slow-burn track. Like a building with a lot of stories, as it were. The way my weird high note twists in the air as Scott’s guitar stabs and everything else empties out at 2:35 is one of my favorite moments in anything I’ve been a part of making. When everything crashes back in around 2:53, then gets to an even more manic gear at 3:03, that’s serious fun too. The whole collaborative album worked out real well, and I’m grateful to be part of it.
Scott adds, “Working with Jonah on this song was a wild dream come true. Like a lot of folks my age, Far’s Water & Solutions hit me at just the right time—drawn to the infectious songwriting and Jonah’s powerful range, whether delicately cooing in ‘Really Here’ or screaming his guts out in the climactic ending to ‘The System.’ I was ecstatic that he agreed to take part in this ambitious project, and the results, in my opinion, are dynamite. I love that we captured both his sensitive and untamed sides, and between that high note that only Jonah can hold and his ferocity at the end, the apex of this jam is extra epic.”
Check out the song and video below.
Scott recently released the song and video with Braid’s Bob Nanna, and the album also features American Football’s Mike Kinsella, The Get Up Kids’ Matt Pryor, Protest the Hero’s Rody Walker, Emily Jane White, The Callous Daoboys’ Carson Pace, Spitalfield’s Mark Rose, Yakuza’s Bruce Lamont, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum members Nils Frykdahl & Carla Kihlstedt, The Dillinger Escape Plan bassist Liam Wilson, The Sound of Animals Fighting live bassist Jonathan Hischke, Secret Chiefs 3 contributors Jason Schimmel & Adam Stacey, and more. Mark Rose also produced the album.