Today’s song is “Shut My Mouth” by TOCK. The Wisconsin-based duo consists of Joel Tock and Steve Laxton.
The different backgrounds of members Joel Tock and Steve Laxton are what really set the music and mood apart. Laxton, coming from a background of 80s power pop, new wave, along with Chicago blues; Tock, making digital waves on Myspace with his powerpop, electronic and rock groups.
Both Tock and Laxton have extensive live performance backgrounds: Laxton played numerous club shows and concert openings with his original music, principally in Chicago and Nashville, as well as being a hired gun in the Chicago blues scene; Tock’s music has taken him around the world with various acts as a frontman as well as a multi-instrumentalist, from the entirety of Van’s Warped Tour ’11 all the way to a tour of questionable legality throughout Russia (and back).
The self-proclaimed “dysfunctional duo,” make a seamlessly perfect sound in their socio-political-tinged release “Shut My Mouth.” The track is a timely song that reflects the current state of unrest across the globe.
About the song the pair says, “‘Shut My Mouth’ is very relatable in the sense that everyone says things they don’t mean in the heat of the moment. This is the inspiration of the song. However, there is a subtext with the lyric ‘shut my mouth and keep my distance,’ which unintentionally marks up thoughts of today’s challenges.”
V13.net premiered the song praising their message saying “we’d all be much better off. It’s too often we talk before we think, and it’s a trait of human nature that has become all too toxic, particularly in recent months.”
We couldn’t agree more. This is a heartfelt and thoughtful track. It features not only a great finger-snapping pop/rock beat but a smart message that many people can benefit from hearing.
Listen below and for more information check out their official website, Facebook, and Instagram pages.