‘The Leviathan’ is out today! It’s a track from Punkfontein (featuring Meel Vignetting). This pop punk anthem aims to inspire, whilst also paying homage with the cover artwork to the legendary Tragic Kingdom from No Doubt.
In late 2022 Punkfontein started with the concept and planned to ask Meel Vignetting to collaborate after playing a show together. Surprisingly, without mentioning anything yet, Meel reached out to Punkfontein asking to collaborate. The stars quickly aligned, and within a week they started work.
The process went smooth, with everyone knowing what they had to do. After several iterations, they scheduled a session at KVD Studios in Randfontein where Stevie Bester worked as the Recording Engineer. It was then sent to Byron Muller from Audio Nebula for mixing and Westenhaus for mastering.
Gareth Meyer (Punkfontein Guitar & Vocals) comments
“I wrote the initial music for this song about 3 years ago, and I’ve been sitting on the idea, waiting for the right moment. This song came straight to mind when the opportunity to collaborate with Meel materialised.”
Hugene Koekemoer (Punkfontein Bass & Vocals) tells us more
“After completing the bass idea, I started working on the verses, humming melodies until I found something that might work, then filling the sounds with words. There is a moment where your mind runs through your words, and at that time it was relevant, as everyone has challenges that they need to deal with. It is essential to always keep in mind ‘this too shall pass’! It’s something that has kept me going and never failed me before.”
Meel Vignetting comments on working with Punkfontein
“Playing on the lyrical line ‘With our monsters we are always being hunted’, I thought of the Leviathan as a metaphorical monster, relating to how I sometimes feel like I’m drowning in my ‘challenges’, and how I’ve always wished that I could fly away from all of it, like Mary Poppins with her umbrella.”
“My favourite line in the song is ‘Fight forever to right our wrongs’. That’s probably one of the most important things in life to me, to face consequences and right my wrongs! From the moment I heard Hugene’s lyrics, I connected with that, and it inspired me to write my parts. The moment Gareth added that line, it was magic! This song is more than just a song, to me … it’s an anthem! And I hope it will connect with our listeners the same way it did us.”
“We initially wanted a visualisation of a Leviathan for our cover art but felt it might be a bit harsh. Being huge fans of Blink 182 and No Doubt, we were initially planning a tribute show during our recording process, then decided to pay homage with our cover art to the classic and timeless album ‘Tragic Kingdom’ from No Doubt. We all have such a positive and fond connection to this album from a time when music like this sculpted us!”
Have a listen to the track below:
“The Leviathan” is available to stream / download HERE.
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