By Misha Rickard – Staff Writer

To Kill A Monster is a band that has always stuck out to me since being first introduced to them while working for a local music podcast. Their songs, often upbeat and pop rock in style, gloss over serious themes with a sense of sarcasm and sass. The exception would be Bear Song, which is just a rollercoaster of a song and I demand everyone request it at their shows in hopes that one day they will play it again.

Growing Up hits very close to home for me, particularly now with being stuck in this sense of arrested development (not the show). I’m in my late 20’s and feel very young technically, but I’m in a place where I feel almost obligated to buckle down and get a “real job” despite aspirations and goals that to others may seem outlandish at this age. But at this point in my life, bring happy means I’ll be okay, and that’s really all that matters in the long run, right?

Everyone, at a young age, always heard adults tell them that they could grow up to be whatever they wanted to be if they put their minds to it. This is a lie, and the song hits that point right on the head. With singer Joey Lawson belting out a dynamic range of vocals paired nicely with group harmonies, we can hear the pain of facing adult realities and learning that your childhood has inevitably come to an end.

The song also hits on the point of how sometimes we have that realization that our grown-up version of ourselves have betrayed our childhood selves. Are we who we wanted to be, or did we stray from our dreams along the way? Growing up shouldn’t have to mean selling out or giving up, but sometimes people lose sight of what’s important to them and settle for what is easier.

Locking-in the catchiness of pop punk chorus and the melodic rock guitar parts, this is not your average radio rock song. This is a band looking to merge the lines of what you think a genre should be. Bands should never want to gridlock themselves into a specific style and To Kill A Monster are a great example of being dynamic in the best ways.

The video for Growing Up is an in-studio video shot at Mooney Recordings, also where it was recorded. Jake Mooney, recently the touring drummer for Like Moths To Flames, is a young and talented producer in Columbus that has been putting out nothing but quality content in the last few years, and it’s interesting to see how both the band and Jake have come together to pull their strengths into this amazing track.

For anyone keen to the pop punk and rock stylings, To Kill A Monster is most definitely a heavy hitter in Columbus, especially now with a solid band line up after having issues in 2018 with finding a steady drummer and taking time off for writing.

Even if the more pop style of writing isn’t your jam, this is a band to watch out for. Having seen them headline this year’s Columbus Covers Columbus festival, they are ready to take on just about anything handed to them.

To Kill A Monster – Growing Up