Song: “XXI Century Blood”

Great rock bands have songs with amazing hooks played by top-notch musicians. The best tend to have memorable lyrics, as well.

There’s one such band rising fast — the Warning, a band I’ve become obsessed with over the past few months thanks to some positive outside influences.

• I’ve also learned a new compliment after reading a review where the band was referred to as a “rara avis.”

It’s easy to appreciate the band’s songs and talent, but the lyrics of Warning songs have been impressing me recently.

Consider these from “XXI Century Blood,” the first song on the band’s 2018 debut album of the same name:

Everyone’s in depression because of an obsession
With stereotypes around the world.
Worldwide starvation, but in this situation,
No one seems to care at all.

Our communication, replaced by animation,
Television has control.
Every question answered, the internet demands us
To worship it like a god.

The band members were 17, 15, and 13 when the song was written.

The song’s official video received numerous awards, yet it took another self-produced album (Queen of the Murder Scene, a concept album about a psychotic, scorned woman) before a major label picked up the band.

• The craziest song on this excellent album is “P.S.Y.C.H.O.T.I.C.,” which again shows their lyrical prowess and ability to execute even the most unexpected concepts — a chant about a murderous mindset.
  • They make it work exactly as well as you might hope, and you can also watch it below.
  • The band members were 18, 16, and 14 at the time.

English is not the native language of these sisters from Mexico, who were nominated last year for a Latin Grammy for their song, “Qué Más Quieres.” They say it’s easier to write in English because there are so many shorter words to choose from — but that doesn’t prevent them from unleashing some polysyllabic stingers, like this from “Automatic Sun”:

Try not to think about it too much
The way the weight of everything’s just
An unavoidable headache
But you got me begging instead

Burn in your automatic sun
Look what you’re doing to me
Give me your psychosomatic love
Look what you’re doing to me

Some lyrics come through songwriting collaborations, but most come from the sisters’ voracious reading and facility with concepts and language. The album XXI Century Blood was self-produced, and the sisters wrote all the songs.

• Rock is alive and well, and thanks to the Warning, Pink!, Lzzy Hale, Evanescence, and others. Women are showing us the way. Rock on!

Enjoy!

BONUS: “P.S.Y.C.H.O.T.I.C.” (Live)

FROM LAST THURSDAY NIGHT IN CDMX

In case you are wondering how the Warning are doing these days . . . this is from the first of a run of three sold out shows at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City this past week. These shows were obviously being shot for a professional concert film, but crowd video will have to do for now.