Are you naturally inclined to be a hater? Good, because I am too. Read these lyrics and let the magic speak to your heart:
I love the way it feels to be a hater
Something so sweet about thinking that I’m better
Just to wake up every morning
Lay in bed and somehow never, ever rise to the occasion
Or even hold up under pressure
But we all know that it doesn’t even matter
If I waste away and no one thinks I’m clever
Just as long I’ve got my ego
And it tells me I’m superior
I could probably go a lifetime
Being barely mediocre
I’d still convince myself every time that I’m better
I am moved to greatness! As soon as I post this, I’m about to log onto Twitter and find something new and fresh to complain about in solidarity with Infinity Song and their excellent “Hater’s Anthem.”
When I was growing up and my dad was driving me to school, he only had a handful of cassette tapes that he would cycle through. Of those I can remember, there was:
- Whitney Houston’s debut
- Culture Club Colour by Numbers
- Sade Paradise
- Something from The Temptations, might have been a greatest hits tape
- Eagles Greatest Hits
- The Carpenters Yesterday Once More
- Fleetwood Mac Rumours
Given the role of soft rock in my young Black life, I was tickled to bits when I heard “Hater’s Anthem” and then noticed it was a group of young Black people!
Originally a quintet, the Boyd siblings sang around their home in Detroit before officially starting a group in 2014. They moved to New Jersey and released their first album independently in 2015. The group honed their skills, performing in parks and in subway stations, and started to gain a following. Here they are performing “Dream Fighter” from their first album at the Rosemont.
That first project was enough to catch the eye of major record labels and they signed to Roc Nation before their EP was released in 2020. Mad Love was promoted with an excellent single of the same name where the Boyds leaned into the soulful side of the 60s. I love a group where it’s clear everyone can hold their own, but Israel’s tone leading off this song is divine.
Poised for the big time, they went on the promo circuit during the pandemic, showing up everywhere from Tamron Hall to Stephen Colbert. I don’t envy anyone making their major label debut and promoting an album during 2020, but the music speaks for itself and they generated enough buzz to start popping up on lists of artists to watch. Now they’re back with another project, drawing on more folk influences for Metamorphosis, and this is the project that is right up my alley! The excellent “Hater’s Anthem” aside, I also have “Metamorphosis” on repeat…
…”Slow Burn”….
…and a fantastic cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.”
And of course, capping things off with My Spirit Song, “Hater’s Anthem.”
A soft rock band in 2024 is so welcome, but a soft rock band in 2024 comprised of Black siblings is exactly what we needed. Check them out at infinitysongmusic.com and support our young artists!
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