Texas has long been the birth place of some of rock’s most influential artists including Janis Joplin, ZZ Top, Pantera and The Mars Volta with the music scenes of Austin, Houston and Dallas crucial to the growth of Southern rock and Americana. Recently, it has been the home of emerging five-piece rock band Blacktop Mojo who with the release of their newest single and professional lyric video “Strike Me” is set to light up the entire industry.
Hailing from Palestine, Texas, rock group Blacktop Mojo is sure to get your head banging. In 2012 the band was founded by vocalist Matt James and drummer Nathan Gillis and alongside them are guitarists Ryan Kiefer and Chuck Wepfer and bassist Matt Curtis. Taking inspiration from classic southern bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd and grunge pioneers Soundgarden, this fiery quintet can be described as Texas Grunge. In 2014, they released their debut album titled “I Am” and after years of bar shows and honky tonks, the group decided to ditch their day jobs in 2017 and commit to the music fulltime. In the same year, they teamed up with iconic sound producer Jimmy Johnson (Rolling Stones, Bog Seger, Lynyrd Skynyrd) and music engineer Steve Melton for “Burn The Ships” via Cuhmon Records. Now with 4 albums and an EP in their catalogue, this Texan troup have more power ballads coming our way.
On January 12th, Blacktop Mojo released their exhilarating new hit “Strike Me“. When asked about the song they said, “The song is a sardonic take on living in a world where everything seems to be burning down and everyone seems divided, so much so that you call out to the universe to hit you with a bolt of lightning and just take you out because you are fed up with it all.” A feeling that is more than relatable, I’m sure. “This song is different from some of our other material in that it’s based more in observation of the outside world as opposed to some of our other songs that portray interpersonal relationships. It’s not the first time we’ve done a song like this, but definitely one of our favorites.“
Simultaneously, the band released an electrifying professional lyric video to pair with their single release for “Strike Me“. This music video is everything this song needs. It’s percussive, textured and vibrant which is seemingly fitting for the Blacktop Mojo brand. Viewers are immediately entranced as the video begins and the layered visuals part ways to reveal the band’s name. Matt’s powerhouse vocals chime in and we see creative light flashes and the eye-catching lyrics read “I know you want to light up the sky“. The choice of a glamour serif font alongside a bold and edgy scribbled font is impactful and it is clear that this music video will be lyric centric. The lyrics are glowing which helps them stand out from the visuals in the background as they demand your attention matching the song’s energy.
The lyric video takes it’s viewers on a sensory journey as the visuals have us feeling like we are flying through the stormy sky. Behind the lyrics, layers of bellowing clouds are seen moving rapidly with suitable lightning flashes over top. At times, the visuals can appear as if they are shaking, giving off the appearance of a thunder boom and in turn, elevating the production level of this music video. The visuals and transitions tend to correspond with the lyrics, for example, when he sings “I’ve seen the growing divide“, the video appears to have been ripped down the middle with the words “growing” and “divide” featured on either side of the tear. Another example would be the rain pouring down in the background as the lyrics read “I’ve seen the rain come”.
When asked about their favorite part of the lyric video the band says, “I really love the colors and aesthetic of the video and think it matches up perfectly with the theme of the song.” The color palette is energetic, living in a world of black and white with neon glowing reds and blues. This track is invigorating and the professional lyric video is equally as stimulating. “We haven’t really ever done any lyric videos with animation like this and thought this single release would be a perfect opportunity for us to utilize one!” Blacktop Mojo will be making their second voyage on the ShipRocked cruise on January 22nd and have planned releases for early 2022. You can follow the band and stay up to date with new releases across all social media and music streaming platforms.
Check out the electrifying lyric video for Blacktop Mojo’s “Strike Me” on YouTube here: