Chicago indie pop duo OK Cool prep ‘Surrealist’ EP (stream “Five Finger Exploding Heart Technique”)

Chicago duo OK Cool are following last year’s Anomia with a new EP, Surrealist, on March 26, and we’re premiering its lead single “Five Finger Exploding Heart Technique.” The song falls somewhere between lo-fi ’90s indie rock, catchy power pop, and the noodly guitars of their home city’s emo, and here’s what OK Cool tell us about the lyrical content:

The first two stanzas of this song are a meditation on being queer and interacting with people who claim to be your allies – performative allyship. It’s also about being a woman and experiencing getting cat-called, thinking about how they’re acting like they’re paying me some sort of compliment. The idea that I should accept the “kindness” they are offering me. But that’s not gonna happen – walking is hard but I would always rather walk than accept help from someone that actually doesn’t give a shit. AKA: brands during pride month.

Listen below:

Tracklist
1. I Should Buy a Sword
2. Five Finger Exploding Heart Technique
3. Hertz 2B
4. Hypervigilant
5. Divers

Best Punk/Hardcore/Emo/etc Albums of 2020

See #45-21 here.