Track of the Day: Wonderlick – Rhinoceros (2025)
What began 25 years ago as two musicians coming together to create free songs for a website transformed into the rock duo, Wonderlick. Jay Blumenfield and Tim Quirk had performed together during the 90s under several guises; however, the new project used the internet to share free individual songs as their style and sound took form – the first step a self-titled debut album in 2002. Skip ahead several years, numerous singles, well-received albums, and intriguing collaborations, and 2025 sees Wonderlick sharing their rock-infused music with the masses. The latest addition to their discography is the single, ‘Rhinoceros’.
Following the critically acclaimed single ‘Niagara Falls, 1969’, ‘Rhinoceros’ is one of the tracks off the highly anticipated album Wonderlick Goes To War. Quoting a lyric from the final song, ‘Origin Story’, Blumenfield shares that Wonderlick are “tiny lights in massive darkness… that’s what we’re trying to be. That’s what these songs are…” – ‘Rhinoceros’ delving into the construction and destruction of fascism in our society.
Inspired by French playwright Eugene Ionesco and his contributions to the Theatre of the Absurd movement, ‘Rhinoceros’ captures the essence of fascism taking control stealthily. Using an intricate arrangement of verses, choruses, and a clever interplay of vocals, the track observes Ionesco’s “absurdist metaphor for the way fascism slowly converts previously reasonable citizens until the few remaining human beings are considered the weirdos…”
Recorded and produced by Dave Trumfio, ‘Rhinoceros’ entwines the significant concept of fascism through evocative, possibly provocative words, with soul-stirring music. Opening with a softer, smoother weaving of bold drums and soaring guitars, the track allows a lighter pop-rock vibe, but as the song progresses, the instrumentation becomes harsher, brasher and more intimidating until finally the pulsating drums and pounding guitars bear down like a bully punching you in the chest. It’s a lull into a comfortable sonic ocean before waves beat at the listener, or rather take over, turning the listener into the… well, fascist rhinoceros.
With the crash of a melody meeting heavy vocals and lyricism, ‘Rhinoceros’ delicately – alright, maybe not so delicately – unpicks the complexities of self-identity as its development in sociopolitical societies. Are you a fascist? Are you one of them? Blumenfield demands an answer, and Quirk quietly denies this, although “…his skin begins to thicken, and we see a horn emerging on his forehead.”
Find out more about Wonderlick on their official website, Facebook and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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