Peacock on Instagram all you want, but Zip-Tie Handcuffs are locked into the truth. The Boston band rips some garage rock while ripping social media a new one with “The Runaround,” their first release since 2019.
The new tune — which dropped today (March 15) via King Pizza Records — presents a torrid rejection the all-consuming “pose, posture, and post” cycle that sustains sites like Instagram and Facebook. Within the span of their two-minute sprint, Zip-Tie Handcuffs torch the digital marquees that broadcast exaggerated (or outright false) realities to close friends and complete strangers alike.
“This song is about society’s attachment to social media, and how so many people project a completely false personality online,” says vocalist and guitarist Matt Ford. “Feeding off of the digital validation of ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ as opposed to existing with other people face to face, no filters and no edits. Humans aren’t perfect, and to me that is what makes us each so interesting. I can appreciate certain merits of social media, and connecting with the world in a few clicks, but sometimes it can be hard to see the line between fabrication and the truth. All I’m saying is, some folks are giving us ‘The Runaround.'”
“If you’re not up to speed / Are you even anything? / Can you tell me something new? /It doesn’t have to be the truth,” Ford asks on the first verse, satirically adopting the platforms’ prevailing attitudes. In reality, the only filters present here might be on the band’s pedalboard.
Break free from “The Runaround” below.