Single Review: “TKO” by Puppy Angst

“I’ll be your punching bag, I guess.” The first words of the latest single from Philadelphia-based fuzz-pop band Puppy Angst, “TKO,” immediately set the tone for the brash, sardonic, dreamy track. “TKO” continues the tradition of messy, cathartic guitars and messy, cathartic confessions mixed with righteous anger and righteous riffs the band last employed on last year’s scorpio season.

In true Puppy Angst tradition, the damning lyricism of “TKO” is heightened by the song’s overall sense of fun. The verses swing and sway gleefully. The moments when a wailing guitar swerves in and Alyssa Millman’s vocals go from precise to meandering in unison delight. The rockabilly drum beat in the first half of the chorus and the dueling screech of the guitars afterward foster the song’s ironic edge.

Each new lyric pokes a new hole in the frustrating and hypocritical logic of people who take advantage of others without a second thought while lamenting the tendency to let things lie because of how much more effort it takes to fight against someone unwilling to listen. From the second verse’s line, “I’ll keep depleting all of myself/And I’ll keep on giving it up for everyone else” to the chorus’, “Maybe I’m a pacifist/don’t wanna fight so I’ll let you win,'' lead vocalist Alyssa Millman’s lyrics play a satisfying back and forth between incisive and acquiescent. Then it all culminates in an outro further wishing so deeply to have the confidence to not kowtow to the whims of narcissists.

It’s a song filled with confidence, honesty, and wit, and on top of that is fun and makes the listener move without even thinking about it. You can find Puppy Angst’s social media on their Linktree here and “TKO” is out now as part of Open Tab Online’s Digital Single Series.