by Selina Yang (@y_aniles)
Cast in grayscale, SAVAK’s new music video features Michael Jaworski’s (vocals, guitar) bleary eyed morning routine. The day’s first choice is between pill bottles labeled as 20 ml of “Perspective Changer” or “Happiness,” just to get through the mundane. To fight the pervasive illness of insecurity, perhaps some concentrated “Inner Critic Softener” would do instead. Any cocktail of these bottled ponderings will do, just to alleviate its emotional shrapnel.
The first thing that brings color to SAVAK’s world is a hearty jam session, where Sohrab Habibion (vocals, guitar) and Matt Schultz (drums) play with pure freedom. In a moment of vulnerability, we are privy to a conversation between the band members. Jaworski sarcastically exclaims a proposition: “We need a viral video!” This is the commonly cited bandaid for many economic stresses – with a slip of creativity, virality seems like a golden ticket to stardom.
The track faces the experience of insecurity head on as something that can still arise even after a lifelong musical journey. “Will Get Fooled Again” is the latest single off their upcoming album, Flavors of Paradise, releasing on March 1st. The track courses with a surf rock groove, upon their trademark post-punk, and is laced with minor key guitar lines. “Will Get Fooled Again” provides an ebb of respite from the band members’ hardcore and punk backgrounds. It’s catchy, yet confident in its vulnerability. SAVAK adds hints of melancholy to a pop sensibility. After all, the song’s message about recognizing insecurity is a universal one.