B-Side Guys

Power pop has always excelled at making misery sound upbeat. Cronkite’s latest single proves this principle through sheer repetition of its title phrase, using the “so far, so good” mantra as both shield against reality and admission that everything could collapse at any moment. Their indie rock foundation provides perfect vehicle for exploring the exhausting work of maintaining positive outlook while everything falls apart.

The track’s central tension emerges from its musical versus lyrical content. Where the arrangement suggests celebration, the words document systematic breakdown—failed marriages, dead-end jobs, emotional numbness disguised as functionality. Cronkite understands that sometimes the most honest response to chaos is forced cheerfulness, the way people say “fine” when asked how they’re doing while clearly drowning.

Their power pop influences surface in the song’s commitment to hookiness despite its dark subject matter. The chorus works overtime to convince listeners (and perhaps the protagonist) that denial constitutes progress. When they repeat “so far, so good” with increasing desperation, the phrase transforms from reassurance into prayer, hope into habit.

What makes this particularly effective is Cronkite’s understanding of modern anxiety as performance. Lines about putting on faces and taking doses just to feel alright capture the specific exhaustion of contemporary emotional labor. Their vocal delivery carries the weight of someone who’s tired of their own coping mechanisms but lacks alternatives.

The production choices support this thematic complexity perfectly. Everything sounds immediate and slightly frantic, matching the protagonist’s internal state while maintaining enough polish to support the power pop aesthetic. The mix creates space for both celebration and desperation to coexist, reflecting the song’s essential contradiction.

Cronkite has created something that works as both catchy single and psychological portrait. “So Far, So Good” succeeds because it acknowledges that sometimes progress means simply not getting worse, that survival occasionally requires lying to yourself until the lies become temporarily true.