Lily Mao & The Resonaters Premiere Their Snarling Single, “Wolves”

Some of the songs with the most serious messages come in the most amusing, playful tones. It lends a certain levity to them, which is often a necessary condition when discussing weighty subjects. The “Wolves” are circled all around us, but we may not even necessarily realize it, as Lily Mao & The Resonaters rightfully alerts us to.

The New York garage rockers have delivered quite a banger with their latest song, which focuses on the many political and social ills that have overrun modern society. Our sense of being an individual has changed so much today as compared to what it was like even ten years ago, and it’s a constant battle to ward off these negative societal forces. Significant and sobering words from a quartet who likes to speak their mind.

Discussing the song and the point of view behind it, band leader Lily Mao tells us:

“‘Wolves’ is a song questioning what it means to be a human within a society overrun by disinformation. The song ‘Wolves’ is meant to address the current politically polarized country we live in called the ‘United’ States (laughs). ‘Wolves’ also addresses how capitalism is a pillar of many human rights issues intertwined with white supremacy, misogyny, and homophobia. It’s a warning cry that the ruling class cyclically take away the working class’ rights using deception. The wolves represent a sundry of fascists: the police, ICE, the prison industrial complex, corporations polluting and poisoning, the Catholic Church, and all the powers that recurrently suppress and de-humanize human beings for profit.

“We believe that until systemic inequalities are addressed, the wolves will continue to take away our rights.”

“We believe that until systemic inequalities are addressed, the wolves will continue to take away our rights. The verses in ‘Wolves’ have an eerie gentleness to them as they hoist sharp lyrics, while the choruses diligently hit you hard. At times we tried to show compassion to humans who have fallen to disinformation using a calmness in our tone, while other times we were intense and loud as acts of self-compassion and truth.”

Mao has been working at it for several years now, and her hard work has paid off, as her band has carved out a nice little niche in the Brooklyn indie rock scene, thanks to their contagious punk rock energy and spirited live performances. Their sound is characterized by a nice little combo of punk, glam, and grunge rock, along with ’80s new wave and ’90s pop. The group has become a big draw at some of the hot local rock spots, such as Rough Trade, Mercury Lounge, the Hard Rock Cafe, and Knitting Factory.

As we race towards the conclusion of 2022, Lily and her bandmates are finishing off their new EP Human Being Animal, with “Wolves” acting as the release’s first single. The EP will be released on February 10th via A Diamond Heart Production. With all these happenings, we’d like to think that there’s no better time than now to hop on the Lily and The Resonaters’ growing caravan.

Artwork for the single “Wolves” by Lily Mao & The Resonaters, photo by Lily Guziewicz