“We’re On Drugs” by The Worst Humans – A Song Review

     Primarily to the credit of today’s Indie bands, there has been a significant increase in music’s attention to social issues. A portion of the increase is a result of the current political atmosphere. But there is also a rise in the awareness and sensitivity to issues such as the debilitating effects of depression (particularly since the suicide of Linkin Park’s frontman, Chester Bennington) and people’s perception of individuals who must deal with it. Thanks to their music, Indie bands are given voices. The volume setting for a band’s voice is dependent upon the strength of their music.

      The voice of The Worst Humans is strong and clear. In their track “We’re On Drugs,” the trio from Brooklyn combine thoughtful lyrics with fluidly executed energy shifts and driving percussion to shine a light on the prevalence of prescription drug use. The track begins with a dream-state announcement that “We are all on drugs.” Lead singer Ian Holubiak enters and lets the listener know that parents, siblings and friends don’t want you to know, but we are all on drugs. In explaining his objective, Holubiak said:

  “I constantly talk to people who are prescribed anti-depressants and the like. And, I too have been prescribed medication to combat mental illness. But the community at large demonizes users, not only those who take prescription medication for one reason or another, but those who use illicit drugs too. We need not put blame on users, nor do we need to judge someone’s character because they use.” 
[A more detailed explanation is pasted below, after the video.]

      The message is consistent with the explanation of the band’s name. The “norm” is to be marginalized:

  “If you've ever felt lonely, lost, listless, less-than, foreign, outcasted, isolated, emasculated, disenfranchised, disassociated, unfamiliar, bedridden, left behind, tossed aside, swept under the rug, stuck inside the outside world or the worst human...then we are together. To everyone else, we are not the same.”

     The members of The Worst Humans are Ian Holubiak (lead vocals, guitar), Steve Conroy (bass, vocals), and Chris Corsico (percussion). The Worst Humans found their footing at Berlin, which sits beneath 2A, a low-key dive bar on Avenue A in New York City. Berlin has long been a hideout for musicians, artists, and others who choose to live on the fringes of society. The band draws influence from notable 90s grunge bands, as well as legendary jazz singers like Nina Simone.

    From the historical perspective, the message of "We're On Drugs" is only somewhat misaligned from that of the 1966 song “Mother’s Little Helper” by The Rolling Stones. It is typically assumed that The Stones were referring to the popularity of the calming drug meprobamate. Unlike The Worst Humans, The Stones did not advocate societal acceptance of reality.

     “We’re On Drugs” by The Worst Humans  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theworsthumans/

Lyrics of “We’re On Drugs” by The Worst Humans (Some best guesses)

[We are all on drugs]

Bring me your hearts

Your tainted souls

Smash the windows that you can’t seem to close

We’re all going to hell

So what you trying to stay tame

For?

And all your brothers

And all your sisters

Your mothers

They are all alike

Can’t you see that we are in love?

And we are on drugs?

We are all alike

Your boyfriends and girlfriends don’t want you to know

We are all alike

[We are all on drugs]

Stains on the brain

From the night before

Sick from all the sex

That lingers in our beds

It's not a game we play

We just don't like to stay tame!

No

And all your fathers

And all of his friends

And their friends

They are all alike

Can’t you see that we are in love?

And we are on drugs?

[We are all on drugs]

We are all alike

Your boyfriends and girlfriends don't want you to know

We are all alike

We are all alike

We are all alike

Your boyfriends and girlfriends don't want you to know

We are all alike

[We are all on drugs]

     Here is the more detailed story behind the song:

  "'We're On Drugs' is probably a concept that most will presume to be maleficent. On the contrary, this song is supposed to briefly talk about prescription psychotropic medication (i.e. for depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder, etc.) and its omnipresence. Perhaps it is something I (Ian) came to realize through experience, having lived and partied in New York for nearly a decade now. More times than not I have engaged people in conversation who are prescribed anti-depressants and the like. I myself am someone who is prescribed medication to combat mental illness. But the community at large demonizes users, not only those who take prescription medication for one reason or another, but those who use illicit drugs too. We need not put blame on users, nor do we need to presume someone's character because they use. "We're On Drugs," then, is supposed to say that we are all lovers, we are all users of one drug or another, we are all boyfriends, girlfriends, sisters, daughters, brothers, mothers and fathers. And we are all inherently human. Sometimes with drugs as our reference point."