Empty Pinata's new single from "Bonfire" is a glowing hot that sizzles with playful heartbreak, hooky melodies, and the sort of tongue-in-cheek storytelling that makes its way to the repeat button to smirk at the brass once more. Inspired by a true story, "Bonfire" revisits the hot mess post-breakup field in which the artist's ex-girlfriend decided to set fire to a box of his things. Shirts, shorts, maybe some sentimental keepsakes, poof. But what she inadvertently spawned instead was one hell of a pop/indie/soft rock nugget.
"Bonfire" embraces its emotional upheaval from the opening chords with a wink and a big grin. There's a breeziness in the verses that gives it a dreamlike sense of drifting through the memory of a relationship gone wrong, only to have hard-hitting drums crash in like the moment everything caught fire both metaphorically and, well, literally. The thing builds intently, playful and poetic, before bursting into a fiery conclusion that gives us one of the track's signature aspects: a lead six-string face-melter courtesy of Gamal.
Empty Pinata has made a cathartic bop that's relatable and surprising at the same time. One can feel the raw honesty behind the humor, the levity balancing the heft. It's the musical equivalent of laughing through your tears as you watch your favorite hoodie turn to ash and realize that you might be better off. The production strikes that sweet spot between indie grit and pop clarity, leaving things polished without sacrificing personality. It's the sort of track you can pop on behind the wheel at 2 a.m. or below in your room for loud debris while acting a fool. And when you think you've figured it out, the third act enters and melts your face off in the best way possible.
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