Italy's Proton Packs, in advance of a new album due out early this year, have released a new single that just might squash any New Year's optimism that you may have worked up (ha!). Actually, the song isn't quite the bummer that it seems to be. Somewhat inspired by a quote from the late Italian director Mario Monicelli ("Hope is a trap"), "The Tunnel At The End Of The Light" finds the band philosophizing about how waiting for some outside force to save us can actually prevent us from taking control of our own fates. This is indeed a bleaker melodic punk rock song, but I can kind of dig the concept here: sometimes our greatest hope is to abandon hope. In typical Proton Packs fashion, this song manages to be dark in a way that's genuinely rousing and anthemic. And production-wise, this track sounds amazing. The full album, which promises to "delve into the realm of dreams, prophecies, hallucinations, and nightmares," will be out soon on Mom's Basement Records!
