Music Review // Tyler Del Pino "The Drugs Still Work"

 

Somewhere out there, Nancy Reagan is spinning in her grave.  "The Drugs Still Work" is a pro-drugs song, but let's be real: everyone is on drugs.  To survive in this world post pandemic, you kind of have to be.   I know straight edge people exist, but still, the thought of someone not medicating in some way blows my mind.  I mean, I've taken allergy pills for most of my life, so that right there is being on drugs.

While you can think of this song as being about marijuana or an illegal drug there is also this underlying point where people can go on prescription drugs such as anti-depressants or drugs for anxiety and other mental illness.   In some ways, we take drugs- even prescribed ones- to block out what's happening around us and that's okay because the world is on fire most of the time.

The lyrics go into "Doing our own thing / ignoring the facts" and "Hoping this too shall pass" which feels largely how the world is right now.   We medicate to help us ignore and forget, hoping it will all blow over and one day we can medicate a little bit less when the world is a little bit less crazy.  Or, at the very least, if the world is burning down, why be sober while it happens.

With percussion that brings in the rock and a chorus that can kick in, this is a strong rock anthem.   Moments of banjo and even those oh-oh-oh's make this feel like an instant radio hit.   Look, you might not like drugs and you might not use them, but trust me, the world would be a much scarier place if no one was on them.   And considering how scary the world is at the moment, that's really saying a lot.