Music Review // Rogan Mei "Don't Look Twice"

 

Hearing this song "Don't Look Twice" makes me think about music from a certain time period, from when The Smiths and The Cure were most popular.  Rogan Mei has this way of creating dark rock, though not quite as dark as those artists perhaps, but yet it can also feel dreamy.  As the rhythm twists and turns, it can just take you on this ride which you may not sign up for but once you're a part of it you'll fully commit.

In a lot of ways I feel like this song is about overthinking but not doing that.  There is a line that says "Are you in or are you out?" and it just feels like in that way it's about making a decision but not hesitating.  There are a lot of times when even I have to weigh the options before doing something, but I was told by my high school gym teacher that your first instinct is usually what is right.  Just go with your gut.  But there is also something to taking too long to make a decision and then missing out.

This song very much feels like a scene in a movie where one character is telling another that they can be in or they can be out, but they have to decide right now and there is all this drama surrounding it.   The tone of this song also seems to convey that sense of urgency.  Though there is something else going on, as one of the lines in the chorus simply says "Maybe later at this party we can act like it's all right".   That makes it feel more like we have to bond together now to get through this, don't think about it just do it, and later we can have a different discussion.

Sometimes when I'm listening to this I hear an artist such as The Honorary Title, who people may have forgotten about over time.  It's just such a unique sound that Rogan Mei has crafted here and at the same time, this sound comes with the story in the lyrics and I feel like people will take their own interpretations to it.   Still, it's a great song both musically and lyrically, so it should be in your playlist and on heavy rotation.