Song of the Week: CTRL ALT Delete

Sometimes when I post a poll to choose the next Song of the Week it feels like a fierce competition right up until the timer runs out and the poll closes. It's pure chaotic uncertainty, and at times can feel very nerve wracking... But this was not one of those times.

As soon as I saw Ctrl Alt Delete come up as one of the randomized selections, I almost didn't bother to roll the rest because in my mind it was already in the bag. And as the first song from the Sick Sick Soul EP to ever be rolled as a poll option, is it really any surprise?

Between the song itself and the video, Ctrl Alt Delete is definitely a fan favorite from that collaboration. It was the second track from Sick Sick Soul to hit one million views, following closely on the heels of So The Story Goes which was released a week prior.

Ah, yes—the glory days where we got to experience a new song from both the Skinner Brothers AND Ren every single week for six weeks straight. What a time to be alive! Personally, I had already been following the Skinner Brothers for some time when this EP was released, but Ren's ongoing health battles made him a little trickier to catch in a premier. I think this is one of the first of his that I was able to attend (and I honestly didn't know what to expect from it), but I was completely unprepared to see the chat whizzing by at break-neck speeds, even on slow mode!

I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that Ren needs no introduction in this community. It was through Ren that many of us found the Skinner Brothers to begin with (myself included), and we are eternally grateful for that connection. On the off chance that you aren’t familiar with his work though, it would be a massive understatement to say that you are in for a treat.

Many of his songs, including Hi, Ren and Sick Boi illustrate the daily struggles of living with chronic health conditions, and the impact his eventual diagnosis of Lyme disease has had on his career after being incorrectly diagnosed with Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and bipolar disorder previously. His lyrics also touch upon his frustration with the medical community, and the strength he found in becoming his own advocate in a system that cares more about profit than it does about wellness.

These challenges have led him to give back to the community by opening his own wellness center that will provide access to homeopathic treatment options for others who are also battling chronic conditions, and the aim is to do so in a setting that feels less clinical and more comforting. While it is still in the planning stages, the wellness center already sounds like a promising option for those who are suffering and feel as though they have exhausted any other available option.

To learn more about Ren’s story, I highly recommend checking out the series of videos he posted chronicling the events from beginning to end here.

I'm a certified nutter

Apart from being a master lyricist (Fire In The Booth, anyone?), Ren is also part of a small percentage of independent artists who have clawed their way to success despite the music industry desperately trying to hold them back. Subsequently, he is in a unique position to pave the way for other rising stars by putting them in front of his growing fanbase (who have appropriately adopted the nickname ‘Renegades’). The Renegades are well known for coming through in force to support any new artist that Ren recommends– but don't confuse that with following blindly– I have yet to see a bad recommendation from Ren. The dude is literally a talent magnet.

After Ren gave the Skinner Brothers a shout out for their song Prawn Soup, many of his fans found their way into the Skinner Brothers camp as well. (No, not THAT one.) What resulted was a remarkably seamless blend of like-minded individuals who have come together as one united front, showing up every day and proving time and time again that you do not have to be blood-related to be a family. Tony Soprano, eat your heart out!

From that moment on, we were all rooting for some type of collaboration between the two, but we certainly were not expecting an entire EP! And you could have knocked me over with a feather when rumors began to swirl that Sick Sick Soul was only the first volume of what could potentially end up being THREE!

Within the first day or two of this song being released, someone in the comments section had described the little guitar piece (at the two-minute mark) as being “Santana-esque,” and that line has stuck with me ever since because it hit the nail right on the head. Trying to figure out if Zac or Ren was responsible for it was a real mystery though, because neither artist wanted to spoil the surprise.

Personally, I could see it going either way: In terms of overall style, it certainly seems more in line with Ren’s music, but Zac operates on an undercurrent of modesty equivalent to casually slipping into your final dress and saying “What? This old thing?” while everyone scrambles to pick their jaws up off the floor. I’m not much of a gambler, but if I were, my money would be on the Skinner Brothers for this one.

I played the cards that I was dealt
My hand was bad, but
I'm a fuckin' lion in this bitch!

And we haven’t even talked about the video yet! There’s so much to unpack here! If you’re on the Patreon you’ll remember Zac’s woes of having to shoot the scene where he buys the mushy peas over and over, which will never stop being funny to me (Sorry, Z!). After leaving the shop, he briefly stops to play soccer (yeah, I said it… fight me!) with some fellas outside, which makes me wonder if all British people are just born knowing how to play soccer, kind of like how sea turtles instinctively know to head towards the ocean after hatching.

Then, there’s Ren buying “medical supplies that comply with YouTube’s Terms and Conditions,” but we all know that’s a lie because only drugs could make you think that eating an entire can of mushy peas all by itself is a good idea. And the cameraman’s shadow? Priceless.

But we certainly can't forget everyone's favorite part...

I don't think anyone was expecting that, and yet somehow, it works. The happy little trumpets take this song to the next level, and you can't help but do a little boogie whenever they chime in. It's the cherry on top of an already perfect sundae, if you ask me.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next installment of Sick Sick Soul. While they may decide to take it in an entirely different direction this time, I don't think anyone would complain about having more songs like Ctrl Alt Delete in their lives!

☘️🖤

Lyrics from Genius:

[Zac]
Woo!
I say slow down, preacher man, the love won't stop
When a beat this tough, they're gonna lose their top
They told me thousand times, they said, "Soul Boy, stop"
I put my middle finger out, I said, "Fuck you, watch"

I played the cards that I was dealt
My hand was bad but
I'm a fucking lion in this bitch
Turn a bad thing around and make it feel good
Feeling myself right now, I really could
King of the world, so hot, man
I'm frying in this bitch
Top Trump when I hear the world gonna go bang
Gonna go to bed when the planet get peak
Man, I'm gonna ctrl-alt-alt-delete

[Ren]
I said slow down, stop and breathe, relax and inhale
Lost myself inside the spaces between heaven and hell
You see we gentrify the fibres of the human condition
Excavate the soul, replace it with materialism
Hold up, watch it

Watch the kid, I'm in the cockpit
Bass line riff, it hits right in the pocket
Drop it, sick, the Sick Boi spit droplets
Rain on the rhythm precision it's hypnotic, sucker

Music for the gutter, a mean motherfucker
A G not butter, I'm a certified nutter
Oooh, the force, the typhoon, the music tycoon?
I'm steezy, my brother

[Ren]
I played the cards that I was dealt
My hand was bad but
I'm a fucking lion in this bitch
Turn a bad thing around, it make you feel great
Pick it up or pressurise the pressure deflates
Pour a little gasoline and make a bonfire in this bitch (fuck off)
Kick drum with the 808, damn it's so bad
Think I'm gonna turn it in, I feel a little beat
Man, I wanna ctrl-alt-alt-delete
Man, I wanna ctrl-alt-alt-delete

[Zac]
And then so my story goes
Girl meets boy, let's go
Of the things they love and the things they do together
And then so my story goes
Girl, meets boy, let's go
Of the things they love and the things they do together
And then so my story goes
Girl meets boy, let's go
Of the things they love and the things they do forever

[Ren]
Run like I'm Usain, true pain, new game
Profane bars are fat like the Buddha
Come like I'm Bruce Wayne, old game, new lane
Propane, lightning strike like barracuda
Microphone abuser, cyclone maneuver
Tyson-like movement, striking twice using
Mighty right bruising, line of sight humans
Nighty-night 'scuse me, I'm polite, usually

Sike, I'm a sick boy, I do what I like
I don't like that sort of fish, it won't bite
How'd you even get in a dress so tight?
The nights still young, but I think I just might
Humour me, usually I'm in the mood to be
Moving with you, that's a unity
Choosing me, choosing you, beautifully stupid
Enough, that's a lovesick lunacy

[Zac]
I played the cards that I was dealt
My hand was bad but
I'm a fucking lion in this bitch (I'm a lion)
Turn a bad thing around and make it feel good
Feeling myself right now, I really could (what?)
King of the world, so hot man
I'm frying in this bitch (sick, sick, soul)
Top Trump when I hear the world gonna go bang
Gonna go to bed when the planet get peak
Man, I'm gonna ctrl-alt-alt-delete