Uncultivates, “Every Day I Wake Up on the Bonnet of a Different Car"

By Jack Rafferty

Uncultivates is a new discovery for me. They are an Irish band that plays a type of mathcore/post-hardcore reminiscent of Dillinger Escape Plan, and they dress in ridiculous cowboy outfits, somewhat in the vein of the social commentary/American parody style of something like the B-52s (I could be reaching here a bit in terms of their intent, but it comes off as being from the lens of critique). They commit to the bit with this, even replying to interview questions with cartoonish lingo that at the very least is done in the spirit of fun, and more than likely is coming from a place of making fun out of these Western mythos and tropes. 

The song, “Every Day I Wake Up on the Bonnet of a Different Car,” in particular, is a lambast of the current right-wing zeitgeist, with a particular emphasis on the drug-addled toad, Joe Rogan. The music video they have put together for this track is how I would recommend experiencing it, as it does an excellent job of visually conveying this critique, through playing clips in the background of Rogan, Trump, Musk, Hulk Hogan, and many other embarrassing pieces of trash (including clips of Nascar, rodeos, stock graphs, American flags and burning skies, and Biden stroking the hair of children) essentially foregoing the need for any direct parody, because showing them being themselves is enough. In the foreground of all this, the band dons their goofy cowboy outfits, while angular, discordant riffs and angry, raw vocals perfectly match the absurdity, vileness, and comically sad figures being shown. 

This song comes from their recently released debut, This Will Become Clear Later, Like the French Revolution. While the album as a whole didn’t excite me as much as this song did, I may still review it down the road. The band is clearly not taking themselves too seriously, but also not holding back in the things they are taking aim at. I appreciate the ways they are reducing some of the more repellent aspects of the culture of the ruling class to fodder for ridicule. They intelligently recognize that in reality they need to say little to convey this, and merely highlight the drug-crazed, anti-intellectual, inhuman foolishness that is their brutalizing and mediocre existence.