Munky – ‘Megaton’

We don’t know many songs inspired by the Fallout video game series, but if this becomes a trend, we’ll be over the moon. 

Munky’s ‘Megaton’ is the first song I’ve heard that is inspired by Fallout, as well as “guilt, regret […] and the global ecological crisis”, and it’s brilliant. Produced by Dan Doherty (who has worked with Fontaines DC), ‘Megaton’ is the 2019 soundtrack for Apocalypse Now. It begins with a fade in of drums, bass and sliding echo-laden guitars. As the vocals of the first verse start, the screaming and unsettling guitars sound like an animal being tortured. The song builds as the drums play a straight beat and the guitar slides become more intense and frequent. In the second verse, the strangled guitars opt for a laid-back yet melancholic jangly guitar riff over a cool groove in the rhythm section. All moods are covered here.

But what is most striking here is that Munky still pull out a big modern rock chorus. This will work in their favour in appealing to a wide audience. ‘Megaton’ features the modern rock stylings in the vocals and chorus, yet it is played alongside to a post-punk/psychedelic/apocalyptic musical backdrop.

Words by Matthew Brocklehurst

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