Album/EP

The Opinion Industry – #Trending (EP Review)

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

Apr 12, 2023

7 min read

The Opinion Industry – #Trending
Released: April 14, 2023

Lineup

Cruisy // Drums
Benny Mac // Bass
Benj Axwel // Showpony (Vox/Guitars)

Online

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Instagram
Website

Back in late 2021, a little Sydney band with big dreams (and clever music) landed in my inbox asking for my opinion of their material. At first, I wasn't sure where or how to talk about them - but once I did the ol' check-a-rooney (are they heavy? would mainstream media say no? can you throwdown to them?) I knew they'd be a perfect fit on Wall of Sound.

The band is The Opinion Industry - three seasoned musicians with a knack for writing catchy as fuck songs that are not only easy to listen to, but offer insights into modern life/situations with a tongue-in-cheek approach to their storytelling. Their debut EP #Trending has been in the works for a couple of years now and tomorrow it finally sees the light of day in its complete state.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow09YDGNwBk

Kicking off with an in-your-face chant, we find frontman Benj Axwel setting up the standard for the release by chanting lines:

'I can do whatever I want because I'm a greedy politician - listen to me.
I can say whatever I want because I have the internet - listen to me.'

Those lines become the stage for their first single (and catchy AF earworm) 'Opinions' which really set the band up for the spotlight with their new/fresh approach to tackling topical issues in music form. The song is about the punishers who think they because they have a keyboard or because they're in a higher state of power than others, their opinions matter - even if it goes against the status quo or as Benj belts out the chorus 'Don't let the hard evidence get in the way of Opinions/ Don't let something like the facts get in the way of Opinions'. It is honestly one of the catchiest songs I've heard in recent years and it should be given at spin at least once in your life - because it'll be stuck in your head for the rest of the day... or in my case, a week. It's rocky, punky and more palatable than your average political punk rock song.

'Petitions & Protesters' is more of your harder rockier song with speed-driven lyrics smacking you in the face akin to that of System of A Down with a focus on those who believe the world owes them something. The constant complaining and pitch-forking peeps online get their own theme song with this one and all I can say is bravo! I hate the term snowflake, but there's a few of them out there that need extra care and consideration because they've never been disciplined in their entire lives - evidence of this can be seen on Twitter with the number of cry babies losing their minds over Bud Light's drag-queen advertisement - a clever song that would translate well in a live setting (I can picture some push pit action as they smash through this one).

'They’re Recording This' is the first taste of The Opinion Industry I came across and it still lingers in the back of my mind to this day... The premise is about Big TECH companies that listen to conversations via your phones or smart devices. We know they do it, it's been proven, but as Benj explained when we first asked him about the song, it's much more common than we realise.

"The scary thing is when you just ‘think’ of something like trimming the hedge and it comes up as a sponsored ad in your feed. Then you start thinking, ‘When did I say anything to anyone about hedge trimmers… or the hedge?’ – you think you’re going crazy. That’s what they’re doing, it’s disgusting, it’s not normal and should never be normal."

The song itself slams, offering a rock vibe that explains what they're doing and how we, the consumer, are caught up in their choke-hold. It's a bit dad-rocky at times and to some Gen Z or Zoomers, it may come across as cringe - but they're not the target audience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1O2WdLiQtc

I'm certain that 'No Clue' is about the covid pandemic. I'll follow this review up and find out officially but with lyrics thrown at you like 'sit on the fence while clenching your fists / go see a doctor if symptoms persist / when you medicate will it take this all away' and the 8-bit video game inspired music video where the band are being 'controlled', leads me to believe it's about the narrative of how we were all told what to do during that time, as governments were figuring it out as they went. Given the whole world was fed the same information, it begs the question fo how much were they telling us was truth and what was for their own interests.

I know that sounded a little conspiracy theory-filled, but having witnessed people suffering effects from the jab and long-covid, it makes you wonder... 'No Clue' offers insights into those questions and tries to keep your attention for the duration. There's a minor scream or two in there, something I'd love to see the band hone in on with future releases.

'Karen' is a funny one to review as it's essentially the same instrumentals from 'They’re Recording This' but remixed with new lyrics that point fingers at the, you guessed it, Karens of the world. Much like the original, the chorus has that repetitive approach of 'Karen's reporting this / Karen's recording this' which was funny at first, but after giving the song a few spins since its initial release, the impact hits you less and less as time goes by - but I will stand by my original call of this song being the official anthem for Karens Gone Wild - a series of videos on TikTok where if this was played underneath the viral videos, it would give them a hilarious new edge that's just waiting to become a viral sensation.

https://www.tiktok.com/@karensgonewild/video/6873154487830252806

The Opinion Industry's motive is to offer a light-hearted, hard rock approach to observing the ins and outs of modern life, and the identities we come across on a daily basis. Their #Trending EP is not only clever, but a fresh approach to comedic storytelling through heavy music. As history proves - punk mentality shows itself in many forms and it's of my opinion that The Opinion Industry are delivering in-your-face punk-inspired messages in a fun, digestible fashion - especially for those who may turn their nose up at heavy music for being nothing but screaming. Go into this EP with the idea in your head of this being Aunty Donna or The Chaser meets Rise Against and kid-friendly Steel Panther - and you wouldn't be too far removed from the concept.

Once this band find their clique, they're going to blow up bigger than ever imagined. Will you get to say you found them before that all happened?