In the self-care era, the pursuit of happiness ironically seems to be more elusive than ever. Is the secret to fulfillment landing your dream job? Face masks? More cowbell? The answer, according to And The Kids, is actually quite simple: "Life is a bastard, life wants to kill you, don't get old."
"Champagne Ladies" lives in the space between the blazing recklessness of M.I.A.'s "Bad Girls" and the pink cursive of your mom's carpe diem cocktail napkins. The first single from When This Life Is Over offers effervescent escapism in response to existential angst, with buzzing guitar and shouted vocals.
"Live life, don't let life live you, because we all have an expiration date," frontperson Hannah Mohan tells NPR Music. "I think it's important to remember that."
The opening lyrics — "And the first one off this plane gets crowned / We all know why we go" — and the song title are a nod to flight attendants and the reverie they represent. "All the stuff we go through to find our place in this world can take a toll on us," Mohan says. "I think maybe they represent the vice that tends to us all."
Life is short, and then you die. In the song's accompanying video, And The Kids' response is to down some bubbly and smash the glass.
When This Life Is Over comes out out Feb. 22 via Signature Sounds.
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