B-Side Guys

Cinema becomes both metaphor and message in Nadia Vaeh’s “R!OT,” a pop-punk rallying cry that turns Hollywood’s artifice into ammunition for authenticity. “We’re all starring in our own movie,” she declares early on, before spending the next three minutes systematically dismantling the fourth wall between performance and reality.

The production team of Don Miggs and Tyler Spratt, along with mega-hit writer Dave Kuncio, brings over four decades of combined experience to craft a sound that honors pop-punk’s heritage while pushing it forward. The result is a perfectly calibrated blend of aggressive guitar work and polished pop hooks that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Paramore record, yet maintains its own distinct identity.

Vaeh’s lyrics create a masterful extended metaphor, using film terminology to explore disconnection and yearning for authenticity. Lines like “Cool smiles masking misery” and “Scenes stuck on the same old same old lines” build a world where everyone’s performing, while the chorus’s call to “start a riot outside” becomes an invitation to break free from prescribed roles.

The arrangement mirrors this journey from artifice to authenticity, with verses that float between “LA” and “lala land” before exploding into choruses that demand action rather than acting. The self-aware aside of “Well maybe I’m too emo” shows Vaeh’s ability to acknowledge genre conventions while transcending them, creating space for both vulnerability and strength.

“R!OT” succeeds because it understands that authentic connection often requires disruption of the status quo. When Vaeh invites listeners to “Dream on until the credits end,” it’s both an acknowledgment of fantasy’s appeal and a call to write our own stories – even if that means starting a riot to do so.