Tetherball – “Bootss” (audio) (Premiere)

On the surface, there’s not a whole lot to suggest that Tetherball‘s music is anything more than some pretty hook-heavy rock and roll. For Steve Voss, the man behind the Tetherball name, however, there’s a great deal of deep lyrical exploration beneath the music’s surface, saying in the press release for his latest record Whimsy, “‘Tetherball’ deals mostly with the concepts of madness and perception.” Philip K. Dick, a science fiction writer as obtuse as he is beloved, is cited as an inspiration for much of Whimsy‘s material.

But whether or not one is willing to dive into the madness and perception of it all, it’s still pretty easy to get into a tune like “Bootss”, which blends together the guitar chug of a band like the Cars with the gritty distortion of rock revival outfits like the White Stripes.

Voss summarizes the song to PopMatters thusly: “‘Bootss’ was inspired by a trip to Sundance Film Festival, after a late night concert. There’s so much surrounding a music experience that doesn’t involve the music at all, and it was refreshing to see someone [in the crowd] hold true to themselves and really enjoy just listening. Don’t apologize for your music taste, or get caught up in the bullshit that doesn’t matter.”

He breaks down the song further, saying, “‘Bootss’ is a metaphor for being true to your taste. It’s an admirable trait. You won’t be happy if you don’t embrace what you love, or if you fake it with others. The bridge lyric sums it up: ‘Punch your favorite record at the low part, back to the good.’ The song has nothing to do with footwear. And there’s a twist ending that I think is funny.”

Voss is self-releasing Whimsy on October 28th.