With the escapist nature of music, people often listen to tracks that help them deal with their emotions. For example, individuals can listen to a specific song so they don’t freak out. This could be comfort music that calms the listener down, or it could be the opposite. It could be music that is loud, out of tune, and whiney; similar to the emotions of a tantrum. “Safari” by 125 Rue MontMartre is one of those latter examples.
The track itself is relatively mellow. For most of its runtime, Kerstin Lienen, the main vocalist, sings a soft melody. Yet there are two moments where the song completely explodes.
High Strung Lyrics
Translated into English from its original German, Lienen sings in the intro:
The world is passing away around me, And walk past me, I’m standing still, unconscious, I’m kicking against walls, I want to see heads explode…
Intentionally Stressful Sounds
Although the original song is sung in German, the listener can thematically feel this tension that Lienen talks of. The guitar is simple and repetitive, and same with the drums. They don’t take away the attention from Lienen’s singing, but the guitar and drums aren’t necessarily interesting either. Their purpose is to be repetitive, in a sort of dizzying way, so that the listener can truly feel the monotonous exhaustion that Lienen paints.
At the 1:27 mark, the drums and guitar veer heavily from their original pattern into a disorganized mash-up of sound. The instruments yell and scream and kick and shout, but Lienen is silent. She lets the instruments talk.
After their brief uproar, Lienen returns to her calm singing; and so do the drums and guitar. Lienen pulls the listener back to its usual sound, almost apologizing to them for how abrupt that outbreak was. She returns to her prior pace as fast as it shifted.
But after a slow break, the listener recognizes something in themselves. They see that they enjoyed the brief chaos and that this monotonous, almost droning repetition, isn’t for them. 125 Rue MontMarte predicted this, and at the 3:12 minute mark, another explosion of sound detonates.
How It Works
I can only speak for myself on this, but when I hear these moments of disarray in contrast with its times of peace, I feel relaxed. And maybe relaxed isn’t the right word, but I feel a weight off my shoulders through the noise. I think this is because the track, the band, and everyone in it blows up so I don’t. It is like having a tantrum vicariously, through the sound. For me, it checks all the same boxes as if I was to freak out. And for music to be able to do this, to destress and calm and avert real life explosions, is incredibly crucial.
What’s your blow up song?
