You’re Not Really Listening To Me

Tom Vek “A Chore”

British accents are very good for conveying boredom and petty annoyance in pop music without actually sounding boring or annoying. In his new single “A Chore,” Tom Vek sings about soul-crushing routine, though the perspective is a bit unclear. I prefer to hear this as sung in the second person — it’s better as an expression of disassociation from oneself than a harsh judgment of someone else. Vek’s voice gets across an angry self-loathing, but there’s a wit to it. It’s not simple self-pity. It’s more like gallows humor, tied to a track that’s heavy and lurching, but stops just shy of overbearing.

Buy it from Amazon.