PREMIERE: Jet Black Alley Cat's "Fight XVII"
By Katherine Stallard
Following their most recent single drop from late October, ‘Ex Lover Anthem’, Jet Black Alley Cat is back again to demand your attention with their newest power anthem ‘Fight XVII’. With a pounding intensity, ‘Fight XVII’ declares loudly and unabashedly that even in times where the world seems like it’s doing the most it can to push us down and subdue our potential, we can all find it in ourselves to unlock what’s inside and show the world what we’re made of.
Tuning into cinematically intense sounds and deep echoing synths, ‘Fight XVII’ paints a vivid story of a girl the world forgot—a girl with a troubled past and her attempts to surpass the boundaries life has inflicted upon her. Despite all the challenges she faces, she knows that there’s more out there for her to explore, and through the chorus, the song pleads to the girl in the narrative, and to anyone that’s been in a similar situation, that nothing can hold you down if you can find it in yourself to do exactly what the song says: fight.
Intense and breathy vocals by lead singer Joe Wilkinson craft the heart of the track and epitomize the energy the track emulates. The dark and swirling synths paired with driving drums conjure images of night and internal struggle, while the guitar paints a bright and hopeful picture. Pleading the listener to dig deep, the chorus sings of hurt, devastation, and anger, but also shines brilliantly with hope. The song understands the reality of situations where women and people can feel overpowered but objects to it fundamentally, resents it, and refutes the idea that any restrictive situation is permanent. Belting “Cause she got it wrong, but she got the right, a right to every little thing that the world has taken from her,” the track’s chorus glows with strength and promise.
In a world that often favors inequality for the sake of power, systemically objects to new ideas, and simply just seems too hard to handle sometimes, “Fight XVII” asserts that no matter how things feel, there’s always a reason to decide to fight. As the second to last chorus repetition dips down into a gritty and urgent breakdown that urges the listener to dig deeper even when the past seems like it’s clouding the present, there’s always a future worth waiting for, even if it means kicking and screaming to accomplish it.