“Book of Moths” by Bad Rat? – A Song Feature

 

     Ringing guitars during the intro give rise to the early allure to “Book of Moths,” then other contributions secure the attention of the listener for the remainder of the single from Bad Rat?. The lead vocals have a rhythmic delivery by a melodically pleasing voice. And the rhythmic delivery is creative in blurring when lines in the lyrics begin and end. For example, in the first verse, the early inflections make it difficult to determine whether “smiles” ends the third line or begins the fourth:

Moonbeams on the nihilist

Drive ‘til you can savor it

Eyes on the back of your family’s smiles

Drink down ‘til you’re over it

And lie ‘til you get out of their sights

      Still, we nominate the 1:45 mark as the start of the best segment of “Book of Moths.” At that time, the percussion carries an appealing, forceful rhythm, the ringing guitar gives way to a feature of a lower range, and the vocals begin a quiet chant, as if citing a mantra. The members of "Bad Rat?" are Marc Kamil, Ascari Chotoosingh, and Claire Webb. On Augurst 13, 2021, they are scheduled to first release the album “The Center of Everything.” Regarding the release from the album:
  “On October 7th, 2020, on a yearly road trip from Wisconsin back home to New England, Marc dictated an idea to Claire, and she wrote it down. ‘Book of Moths,’ it said, and 9 months later, that note gave birth to the lead single from ‘The Center of Everything.’ This song might be sad, but we’re not sure. Let us know if you find out!”

     Bad Rat? is a band formed in Bennington, Vermont and is now based in Southampton, Massachusetts. They make music across genres, with a primary focuses on Indie Rock and Post-Punk. However, they also dive into Indietronica, Alt Rock, and some Darkwave. They decided to form a band after driving through a snowstorm to see their favorite band in concert, having realized that their common commitment to music and their dedication to creating were too great not to be put to use.

     “Book of Moths” by Bad Rat? – A Song Feature

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/badratband/
Bandcamp: https://badratband.bandcamp.com/album/the-center-of-everything

Lyrics of “Book of Moths” by Bad Rat?
Moonbeams on the nihilist
Drive ‘til you can savor it
Eyes on the back of your family’s smiles
Drink down ‘til you’re over it
And lie ‘til you get out of their sights
 
Sunlight at the start of it
Try but you’ll never get over it
Coins in your pocket burn holes in your sides
Look back now, look back now, look back now, look back now
But you’ll never get back there in time
 
Blue light on the hillside
I get back to the state of mind
Cry but the tears are like sand
And I’m sick and tired of the weight of it
Still picking at the thorn in my side
(Thorn in my side)
 
Spent some time at the heart of it
Tried but I couldn’t get through it
Fear of the ending setting fire in my mind
Fall back now, fall back now, fall back now, fall back now
But I’ll never fall back in their line
(Look back now, look back now, look back now, look back now
But I’ll never get back there in time, back there in time)
 
And so I go whistling down tunnels
And burning up bridges
I put your name, I put your name [Repeating]
 
Who flew too close to the suns
Then imagined in empires built from nightmares
Shouldn’t you be scared?
And shouldn’t I be there?
 
So what did they say?
I didn’t understand the message
What did you say?
I didn’t understand but I couldn’t let it get out of hand
So what did I say?
You didn’t let me finish, did ya?
Couldn’t give me five minutes
What did I say?
What did I say? Yeah
 
So I go
Whistling down tunnels
And burning up bridges
I put your name in my Book of Moths
 
Who flew too close to the suns
Then imagined in empires built from nightmares
 
Shouldn’t you be scared?
Shouldn’t I be there?
Shouldn’t I be there?