"I think our idea was just about writing from personal experience. We’ve been in this situation before — we had people writing songs for us, older guys, and they didn’t understand young teenage girls at all, and it was really weird. I think we’ve gotten to a place where we can speak from our souls and just write songs that mean something to us, and that can mean something to our fans. We wanted to write an alternative-pop EP, and I think we successfully did that. You can hear that they’re our voices.
I think we’ve all been in those relationships. And it’s not even just about guys -- girls can get selfish in relationships and not give a guy the attention he needs. It’s basically just saying, ‘Hold out for something better, because you should be made a priority”.
Rena Lovelis, Billboard
After changing their name from Cherri Bomb to Hey Violet in 2013, the youthful LA quintet - lead vocalist/bassist Rena Lovelis, supporting vocalist/drummer Nia Lovelis, rhythmic guitarist/keyboardist Miranda Miller, bassist Iain Shipp and lead guitarist Casey Moreta - said goodbye to lead singer Julia Pierce and their initial pop/punk aesthetic.
Instead, they took on a more radio-friendly electropop approach with the aid of One Direction collaborator Julian Bunetta and advice from 5 Seconds of Summer. “Guys My Age”, their best-known track of the moment, capitalizes on a raw, punk-ish edge to makes the song - which is really about a teenage girl being disillusioned from romantic relationships with boys her age - takes on a darker, more mature undertone.
The lyrics indicate that Lovelis’ lyrical persona has not actually embarked on a relationship with an older man - but the amount of charisma and agency on display in Lovelis’ vocals and the accompanying neon-lit music video will make you wonder about just how much maturity she expects from her partner:
'Haven't seen my ex since we broke upProbably cause he didn't wanna grow upNow I'm out and wearing something low-cut'Bout to get attention from a grown upCause you hold me like a womanIn a way I've never felt beforeAnd it makes me wanna hold onAnd it makes me wanna be all yoursGuys my age don't know how to treat meDon't know how to treat meDon't know how to treat meGuys my age don't know how to touch meDon't know how to love me goodGuys my age don't know how to keep meDon't know how to keep meDon't know how to keep meGuys my age don't know how to touch meDon't know how to love me good'
Lyrics: Genius
There’s not as much explicit angst-driven rebellion as The Runaways’ “Cherry Bomb” on display here, to be sure, but when Lovelis sings ‘we're never going back’ at the end of the song on repeat, the finesse and confidence on display gives one the impression that Hey Violet has envisioned a clear way forward. There hasn’t been a female-fronted band to rival the enduring mainstream successes of Blondie, No Doubt, Evanescence, The Cranberries or Garbage in recent years; Hey Violet just might be poised to fill up that void.
