Amy Shark wears her punk roots loud and clear in her latest single ‘C’MON’ featuring Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker.

The Australian singer-songwriter has always demonstrated a knack for baring her soul through vivid, harrowing, and impassioned melodies. Her latest effort does more of the same but the lyrics go above and beyond in truly establishing a somber mood of reflection. The composition begins with an aching chord on the piano, a refrain that runs through the entire duration of the tune. The chord imparts a steady vulnerability to the proceedings that only strengthens as Shark’s vocals take hold and buoy the rest of the piece in a soothing harmony. 

By the pre-chorus, the guitar chords ramp up and the tempo takes off, giving way to a solid but brief chorus that is as punk-perfect as it gets. What’s charming about this piece is that it restrains from going all-out on an explosive chorus or a dynamic guitar solo — a few instruments, including Travis Barket’s pulsating percussion arrangement, is enough to set the tone and make the listener connect to Shark’s words. However, it’s intriguing how the rhythms take a dramatic shift at the bridge and speed up, allowing the track to take on an upbeat feel. The root of the song is about needing that extra push to get you through the darkest of the days, the “c’mon” acting as a motivational phrase to get the adrenaline running at full-force. Which is why it’s only suitable that Shark launches a striking, brisk run at the bridge. 

The song marks Shark’s second single from her upcoming second album. Shark had an absolutely memorable 2018 in which her album Love Monster became the highest-selling album by an Australian artist. Her acclaimed singles and albums have already made her one of Australia’s most promising artists but this single might catapult her to the very top. Speaking on the feature by the Blink-182 drummer, Shark said, “It’s quite surreal to have the drummer from one of my all-time favourite bands playing on one of my songs. It didn’t take much convincing for him to jump on board. He genuinely loved the song and took ‘C’MON’ to another level!.” 

Author: Shaoni Das

Shaoni Das is a writer/editor currently based in Edmonton, Canada. She remains eager to inspect how the changing culture of music impacts upon the greater world.