The ‘90s/’00s music scene, especially genres like emo, pop-punk, and nu-metal, have been making a comeback, since the peak of COVID 19, really. Which makes a lot of sense. These styles originally emerged from a time of political and social upheaval as a way for young people to process what insanity was happening all around them and find a healthy way to let out their rage. This music still serves that purpose today, but with the added nostalgic effect of an “old-school” feel.
One teen band, called <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@maplespetdinosaur/video/7538384534115503378″ rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>Maple’s Pet Dinosaur, has perfectly captured this gritty, retro vibe, not just in their now mega-viral song, “Lego,” but in the way they shot their music video…which just so happened to be filmed entirely on a neighbor’s ring camera.
The ring camera cameo heard round the world
In the video, we see lead singer Maple Johns asking though the camera, “is it okay if we use your ring to make a music video, please?” to which the homeowner reluctantly replies, “Uh…yeah I guess…” (Is this part staged? Who knows? Who cares! It adds an awesome touch)
The band then immediately rocks out to a snippet from their song, which very much aligned with their ‘90s inspirations, which include Faith No More, Beastie Boys, and L7.
Wasn’t that rad? Having it filmeds olds know is very apropos for the vibe they were going for. Many were even reminded of punk rock icons like Paramore and Avril Lavigne
All in all, the video left viewers inspired for the future.
“Kids these days, you absolutely have to love their ingenuity. This generation rocks.”
“This gives me hope about the next generation of music. I legitimately enjoyed this song. And I can’t wait to see the whole video.”
“Kids making garage bands a thing again is making this year a little better for me.”
Where Maple’s career has gone since
In the comments section, the band shared that, like a lot of teens during lockdown, they began watching, and falling in love with, 90s/00s music videos, and were definitely trying to tap into that aesthetic for their own music. Mission accomplished. In the months since “Lego” dropped, Maple’s story has kept growing.
The 15-year-old has said the song grew out of being bullied on her school bus route when she was 13, and the video’s view count has climbed past 55 million on Instagram, reportedly making it the most-viewed Instagram Reel ever by an Australian-born artist. Maple signed with New World Artists for live touring, broke the 16-and-over age limit at Australia’s Good Things Festival to share a lineup with TOOL, Weezer, and Garbage, and made her SXSW Sydney debut. She’s since released a second single, “Chorus,” and picked up coverage from outlets including Rolling Stone.
The story behind the bully diss track
Pop-punk music has always been a distinct blend of catchy, dance-able (or at least headbang-able) beats paired with pretty emotionally raw lyrics depicting angst, heartbreak, and rebelling against the status quo. “Lego” certainly follows suit, as Johns said the song is a “bully diss track.”
“It’s for anyone who’s ever felt targeted and wants to fight back. A lot of songs about this topic are ‘in your feelings’ type ballads but I wanted to deliver a bully-beat down, a heavy ‘f*** you’ to anyone out there who tries to kill another person’s vibe and confidence. Writing this song gave me the strength to set boundaries and find my own people. Now I want to build that community further through this music.” (Life without Andy)
Just when you thought rock was dead, the kids prove they’ve got it handled. Give “Lego” a listen on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, and more.
This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.
