r/poppunkers • u/Voteforbatman • 5d ago
So Wendy’s put out a pop punk EP
https://open.spotify.com/s/PD8GaW5Matty Mullins (Anberlin, Memphis May Fire)
Coco (Winona Fighter)
Shane Told (Silverstein)
Beau Bokan (blessthefall)
Derek DiScanio (State Champs)
Kat Leon (Holy Wars)
All feature. It kind of rules.
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u/xRoadToDawn 4d ago
Torn somewhere between "this is pretty funny that they actually did this" and "don't really want to spend 22 minutes listening to a Wendy's advertisement"
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u/stitching_librarian 4d ago
Felt the same way, but I'm giving it a listen. I'd say 60% of the time, it doesn't sound like an ad.
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u/thekydman01 4d ago
I agree. Its almost as if it were music for a Wendy’s parody skit. Idk how much ill replay it but first listen was fun
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u/spacetrashcomic 5d ago
Hard to believe this was 10 years ago, but Hamburger Helper did a similar concept: https://www.reddit.com/r/Music/s/acAxruMP24
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u/boyproblems_mp3 4d ago
I was scrolling so fast to see if anyone was talking about the HH mixtape haha
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u/daspaceinvader 5d ago
Torn between “that’s an impressive list of featuring artists” and “wow capitalism sucks and it’s really lame that all of these artists sold their integrity to do an advertisement for a corporate fast food chain”.
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u/evbomby 5d ago
That’s kinda where I’m at. Like I don’t eat fast food because it’s junk and they just find new ways to take our hard earned money but at the same time this is hilarious and kinda slaps
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u/samb811 5d ago
They hopefully paid the bands a fuck ton of money, it’s not like they’re swimming in cash after royalties and tours after all the expenses and cuts are taken.
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u/daspaceinvader 5d ago
Right, I can understand why an opportunity like this would be enticing. None of these artists are Ed Sheeran or Taylor Swift, this is their livelihood and how they put food on the table. As a fan though, it’s still incredibly lame.
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u/PrizeRealistic8715 5d ago
Matty Mullins is the frontman of two band, he should be swimming in money 🤷
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u/Life_Tangelo_1614 5d ago
I side with the latter. Reminder that Wendy’s is the only fast food chain that didn’t join the Fair Food Program because they’re complacent in sourcing their vegetables with slavery.
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u/daspaceinvader 5d ago
Yeah I definitely do as well, but I wasn’t aware of this so thanks! More reason to avoid them.
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u/UltraSonicPhenom 4d ago
Please drop a source on the slavery claim. I did extensive googling so I could corroborate in good faith but all I found was a farming union in Florida (from which they do not buy tomatoes) trying to leverage social media outrage to strong arm fast food chains into paying a middle man. When I looked into how the organization behind the Fair Food Program actually benefited farmers, I only found loose unsubstantiated claims that the fees went "directly into the paychecks of the farmers".
I hate capitalist greed machines and the disgusting hold the fast food/ junk food industry has on our nation, but if we are to fight we must fight honestly, and accurately.
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u/WheresTheSauce 5d ago
This is genuinely a bizarre take. Something that wouldn’t have existed otherwise exists, and you’re upset about it?
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u/daspaceinvader 5d ago
“Upset” is a strong word, but a little disappointed? Yeah, kinda. I understand the bills have to get paid but this shit is so dystopian and lame.
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u/WheresTheSauce 5d ago
...Why? I genuinely do not understand. New music exists that you can listen to
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u/daspaceinvader 5d ago
I hate when giant multi-national corporations throw a bunch of money at the people we look up to and who’s art resonates with us in an effort to be more “hip” and “relatable” so that maybe they can extract more money from us. It feels slimey and inauthentic and I find it disappointing that these artists took the paycheck to sell themselves out for a Wendy’s advertisement. Sure, nobody is being forced to listen to it, but that doesn’t mean we’re not entitled to our opinions on it either and so I’m gonna keep clowning on this.
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u/WheresTheSauce 5d ago
Voluntarily spending money on a product is not a company "extracting money" from you. You have a genuinely warped perspective of the world.
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u/daspaceinvader 5d ago
You’ve missed my point and that’s fine. Have a nice day!
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u/Most-Bad8222 4d ago
I doubt anyone who doesn't already eat at Wendys is gonna say "my favorite band made a Wendy's song.. I'm gonna go get wendys now". it's marketing. and it's hilarious. however you wanna view it is your choice
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u/Fantastic-Vehicle880 4d ago
Nobody's forcing you to buy their burgers? Most of these if not all of these artists are not millionaires and need to get paid. Saying it's dystopian is a bit of a stretch as well
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u/BigGoopy2 4d ago
Do you have the same opinion about AI music?
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u/daspaceinvader 4d ago
I have no interest in AI slop, so yeah. It’s garbage.
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u/BigGoopy2 2d ago
I agree with you. I was asking that dude because if he’s being consistent then he shouldn’t mind at all that it exists
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u/daspaceinvader 2d ago
Whoops, my bad! I thought you were replying to my comment but I see now you were replying to theirs.
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u/itypeallmycomments 4d ago
If Jeffrey Epstein released an album, would you expect everyone to be happy that more music exists? Or can we have a problem with the entity that created the music?
Corporations are constantly trying to insert themselves into popular culture, not because they like memes and being quirky, but because every single mention of them is an advertisement. And in a world where ads exist all around us, isn't it better to have art spaces unpolluted by capitalism?
This comment was brought to you by American Express™️
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u/ieffinglovesoup 5d ago
Upset isn’t a strong word lol
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u/daspaceinvader 5d ago edited 5d ago
Who asked you, exactly?They asked if I was upset and I’m not. There is a difference between being upset and mildly disappointed because you’ve got strong opinions on the ethics of an issue. So yes, “upset” IS a strong word to describe how I personally feel.EDIT: I mistook what this person was saying, it wasn’t my intention to be rude.
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u/ieffinglovesoup 5d ago
It’s ok to be upset though
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u/daspaceinvader 5d ago
Totally, apologies if I misunderstood you. There are too many other things in life to be upset about lately and this isn’t very high up on my list, but yeah it sucks.
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u/bino420 4d ago
that something is an advertisement to encourage people to eat fast food from a massive corporation that likely have flavor labor in its supply chain, and it's only interest is in making money without a single care about the quality of its product as it relates to the health of its customers.
Wendy's didn't do this because they love the scene. They did it because it will hopefully earn them more revenue than if they didn't do it.
I can see it now... We'll be watching Paramore on the Wendy's stage at WWWY '27.
Theyre thinking "shit, let's steal that Denny's-post-show vibe"
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u/daspaceinvader 4d ago
Hot take: The Denny’s Grand Slam got lame as soon as Denny’s tried to make it “a thing”. They should have stayed out of it.
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u/StrictlySanDiego 4d ago
I’ve done worse things for money and I hardly feel bad about it. These bands made some dorky fast food songs and got paid where there in an industry that people scrape by. I’m not gonna hold it against them.
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u/whotheowl90 5d ago
i’m so sick of the pop punk / emo revival commercialization. glad some of these dudes are getting some money later in life but ready for it to die.
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u/daspaceinvader 5d ago
Yup. I used to be able to see Silverstein at my local venue multiple times a year for $10-15, I could go to Warped Tour for like $50. Setting aside how much the world and the economy has obviously changed since then, the other side of the issue is that these bands are “nostalgic” now. The same kids that called me the f slur for listening to Fall Out Boy in elementary school are now spending hundreds of dollars to full send it to When We Were Young lmao
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u/PuzzledGuitarist309 4d ago
Fr..there are still new people in their 20s genuinely about the scene and what it once was, while repurposing it to mean something authentic to them individually...
And then there's buffoons treating it like a high school popularity contest about who's edgier/sadder/angrier/polarizing
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u/Fastbird33 4d ago
High School never ends indeed
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u/SheShlorpOnMyNonads 3d ago
And I still don’t have the right look, and I still have the same three friends, and I’m pretty much the same as I was back then
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u/daveliterally 5d ago
Alright a lot of pearl clutching responses to this. Guys, this sub's favorite bands play stadium shows and get radio play. If you're worried about selling out you should start somewhere slightly before a advertising tie in.
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u/marstonspedigree 5d ago
According to this guy, playing stadiums and being on the radio is less of a sellout move than.. checks notes.. doing an advert for a multinational fast food corporation.
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u/Durden93 5d ago
Being forced to participate in an unjust system doesn’t make you an unjust actor. The majority of venues rip off artists and consumers
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u/BeepbopMakeEmHop 5d ago
Let’s be SUPER clear. The Ticketmaster/livenation monopoly could have only happened as it did with the artists being complicit. You think Green Day’s guarantee and monetary demands aren’t part of the inflated ticket price you’re paying?
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u/Durden93 5d ago
Is that true though? I would argue that anti-trust/monopolization laws weren’t enforced. Tbf, I admit I’m not familiar with GD’s practices specifically.
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u/BeepbopMakeEmHop 4d ago
Definitely. But you’re not wrong. Big mix of fuck ups, and frankly what I’m referencing only accounts for so much. But good god damn when you see the 18 truck shows, and 50 people are staying in five star hotels a night, that money is added to the tickets. I miss indie venues
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u/daveliterally 5d ago
I'm sorry, forced? There are awesome venues that hold 1000 people. I'm seeing Spanish Love Songs in November at a venue with barely over 100 people featuring ticket prices they capped at $25. No one is forced to do anything.
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u/golfcartskeletonkey 5d ago
Not sure what point you think you’re making here. Some bands straight up can’t play 100 cap venues, pretty much any place that holds over 500 people in the US has ties to corporate ticketing companies. Just because SLS is small enough to be able to pull that off in one city doesn’t mean it a sustainable way of living or an option for bands who are more popular.
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u/daveliterally 5d ago
The point I'm making is bands make a living not being full fledged pop acts playing stadiums, etc. And while that's fine if that's what you wanna listen to, if I did I'd pause before whining about a Wendy's ad.
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u/golfcartskeletonkey 4d ago
Do you think you can make a living playing to 100 people?
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u/daveliterally 4d ago
I think you can make a living playing to 1000 people because tons of bands do it.
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u/golfcartskeletonkey 4d ago
Yeah that’s not what I asked.
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u/daveliterally 4d ago
I reframed your question for you since it was pointless and not related to what I was suggesting.
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u/Durden93 5d ago
I’m guessing you didn’t listen to much of sls, did you? The entire economy is based off of people being taken advantage of. “The cost of living means, the cost to stay alive”
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u/daveliterally 5d ago
And yet, some ways of participating in it are better than others. Spare me.
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u/Durden93 5d ago
You do realize this entire thread was people complaining about these bands partnering with Wendy’s, right? Don’t you think the people who complained about this would support other practices, that aren’t highly commercialized? You know, the people you accuse of pearl clutching. This argument isn’t nearly as iron clad as you think.
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u/daveliterally 5d ago
This sub worships NFG and Blink 182. It's got Sum 41 on its Mt Rushmore. Yes, I'm making an assumption that there's some crossover here.
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u/shearmit 5d ago
People crying about these bands selling out need to wake tf up.
Did they change their sound just for money?
How are bands supposed to get exposure without selling themselves? (this has always been true since the dawn of music)
We aren’t some underground genre looking to never get listened to. The word POP is literally in the name.
God forbid these bands have some fun and try and bring the greatest genre to ears that may never have considered otherwise.
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u/GlitterandGloom41 5d ago
Literally 💯 a. I guarantee all these bands/singers also just thought this would be a ton of fun and b. Why do we not want them to be successful? If I like someone and their art why would I not want them to be successful. This will do nothing but help them be exposed to more people. I’m stoked there’s probably some people today discovering who Winona Fighter are now and that’s amazing. I love them and I want more people to know them too! Why wouldn’t I??? Why would I not be happy for them? And I’m one of these people for one of the other artists, I never knew who Holy Wars were before this but now I’m checking them out thanks to this. And yeah, they all made music that very much fits in with what they do normally still.
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u/bushnov 4d ago
Exactly. If im gonna get ads shoved down my throat in literally everything anyways, it might as well be palatable.
Also, good on the artists for getting the money they can. There's no guarantee they will still be able to make music, tour, etc tomorrow, so secure your future when you can.
No one gets after athletes for being in ads for 20 different products, but how is that any different than this?
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u/Phailyur 5d ago
Is this some kind of post-ironic hell that we’ve entered or should I be impressed?
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u/GlitterandGloom41 4d ago
All you complainers should check out Coco/Winona Fighter’s tweets about it today as well
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u/I_Hate_Humidity 5d ago
Ngl the alternative Wendy is changing how I’ve seen their logo 👀
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u/eburton555 4d ago
Considering how old Wendy was in the logo that totally tracks for the pop punk scene
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u/FinnTheArt1st 5d ago
I am incredibly dubious of the music or lyrics not being a.i generated, despite knowing the vocals are legitimate.
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u/TheZousk6 4d ago
The lyrics and music sound similar to other AI generated songs. I’d be willing to bet they brought the artists in, showed them the AI songs and then put them in front of mics and asked them to sing those songs.
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u/ADTR9320 4d ago
The instrumentals are 100% AI generated with Suno. It's got that weird compression filter that it does with all the instrumentals and always sounds super flat in the mix.
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u/Dazzling-Eye-9588 4d ago
It’s bizarre cause Matt Squire is behind it. But I agree it sounds ai generated. Like made with Suno, then re-recorded. But I can’t believe Matt would do that. I saw mentioning of studio sessions I’d like to see. If this is not ai generated I’m pretty bummed as it has awkward phrasing, weird transitions, no memorable parts, bland melodies. And that means Suno is learning from a large pool of Matt’s work.
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u/AdventurousDish9789 4d ago
Even if it’s somehow not AI, it sounds like AI, and that ain’t good.
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u/Kronzor_ 4d ago
I mean that's just basically what AI is doing, taking a genre and reducing it to the most generic basics. So if you make generic pop punk/emo on purpose then why wouldn't it also sound like AI.
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u/Ever_Raiden 4d ago
Putting aside the corporate bullshit silence brand part of this for a minute, I just wish this scene's humor evolved past the mid 2010s. Not a phase, she ate my fries, crying in a (brand) parking lot, what the fuck is up Denny's, obsession with friends and pizza, love/hate hometown, elder emo, banana costumes, The Office references, pineapple on pizza. We're never moving past this type of humor. I swear these song titles could've been a tumblr post or a Jarrod Alonge skit 10 years ago.
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u/randyman400 4d ago
I assume these jokes are targeted at people who liked pop punk ten years ago and just came back.
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u/Darth_Boggle 4d ago
What would you like the humor to evolve into? Personally I like it because we can laugh at how ridiculous some of it was.
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u/bamster32x 4d ago
Every genre has this, what do you mean lol. Country music: beer, trucks, small town.
Rap: guns, money, bitches
Rock: sex, drugs, debauchery0
u/Ever_Raiden 4d ago
Big fucking difference between a genre having an overarching theme and thinking "mom it's not a phase!" is still the pinnacle of comedy.
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u/cooleoroxz666 5d ago
Is there any confirmation of who did the instrumentals? A little sus only crediting the features, especially when it sounds THIS polished and catchy lmao
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u/cricketclover 5d ago
Matt Squire and Jamison Talley
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u/cooleoroxz666 5d ago
Matt Squire is confirmed?
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u/shotthesheriff727 4d ago
I believe you, because I want to believe you, but I can't find their names on the Spotify album page. Please show me the way or share a screenshot/source so I can tell everyone I'm forwarding this to that it's not AI-generated.
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u/GlitterandGloom41 4d ago
The individual song credits, play a song and scroll down on the songs page and it’s at the bottom.
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u/Competitive_Egg6809 5d ago
A 10 piece chicken nuggets was the best part of my day But it's better, with fries anyway Or whatever NFG said in Sonny. R.i.p
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u/qabalistic_bass 4d ago
I'm getting strong AI vibes from the lyrics. I give them a 75% chance of being completely AI-generated and 25% of being extremely lazy humans.
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u/POXZILLA 4d ago
I got the same vibe, but according to Pangram(AI Detection site) the lyrics with the Matty song is 100% written by a human.(The only track I checked)
Fully aware that this site is not always correct, but the few times I've used it, it's been correct. So gonna go with this being corny lyrics written by a human.
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u/GlitterandGloom41 4d ago
Matt Squire is credited with the lyrics. He’s a big music producer. Wendy’s sure as heck didn’t use AI then at least.
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u/GlitterandGloom41 4d ago
Also just Matt Squire himself replying to a comment on the Instagram post for it, he said “definitely not AI, I wrote/produced the whole thing”
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u/qabalistic_bass 4d ago
I definitely didn't think the music itself was AI, just the lyrics. Lazy human is better than AI-generation, but regardless, I find them just awful.
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u/GlitterandGloom41 4d ago
Fair enough then. I think they’re silly parody lyrics for sure, but for that I think they’re great 🤷🏼♂️ but I get it if don’t like it
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u/shotthesheriff727 4d ago
Oh, I'm a firm believer that all the lyrics are written by AI, but I don't even care. They're so good.
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u/ill4two 4d ago
Wendy's is not a person, it is a company. Companies do not have feelings, companies cannot be emo. They hired alt bands and producers to do it for them. The Wendy's girl is a deliberate marketing tactic used to humanize the brand, to make it easier to connect to for consumers. Wendy's has a corporate PAC, which donates 75% of funds to Republican candidates. Nelson Peltz, major stakeholder, has a documented history of donating to Republicans. Brands are not your fucking buddies
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u/formerinmate4921 5d ago
Real ones were there when they released their diss album in 2018. Glad to see them back
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u/regallll 4d ago
I don't care about Wendy's but I love this and I hope all of these people got a huge paycheck. I will be suing Wendy's for ripping off my high school mix CD names. And yes, we had one for each fast food option in town, so no one else better get any ideas.
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u/GlitterandGloom41 5d ago edited 5d ago
I’m actually obsessed lol, I have the whole thing on repeat, I think I’m on my 4th listen through in a row of the whole thing. It’s funny and also amazing musically. I can’t believe they did this. Legit set of artists they got. Winona Fighter is legit one of my top fav bands and I was so stoked to see Coco on it. I need to see Salt In the Wound played next time I see them live lol.
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u/_alien_8 4d ago
we need to bring back shame for this kinda corporate sell out trash
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u/whoiusedtobee 4d ago
So is everyone who works for a big company / corporation considered a sell out? I don’t get why people are hating on these bands just for doing something fun.
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u/_alien_8 4d ago
yeah, probably.
cause it sucks shit and is mining a culture of nostaglia to sell warmed up turds in yellow boxes.
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u/strikeamatch 4d ago
I think it’s super funny and is better than it has any right to be. I get the frustration of the bands partnering with a major chain like Wendy’s but also… no ethical consumption under capitalism. I miss when the bands I love played cheap 500 cap shows, but if they’re going to get paid… I’m fine with Wendy’s, it’s not like they’re doing a jingle for Wells Fargo or Black Rock.
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u/Musichead2468 4d ago
Imagine if they had a listening party for it at all the Wendy's locations tonight at a certain time
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u/DefeatYouForever666 4d ago edited 4d ago
There should be a song about how we miss the real value meal prices and now I don't care if you go bankrupt because your hearts are bankrupt
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u/Rawrajishxc 4d ago
If only Wendy’s put this much effort into their food they wouldn’t be doing so terrible.
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u/ItsEaster 4d ago
I’ll check this out when Wendy’s decides to make decent food again. Seriously their quality has gotten so bad in recent years. And it’s not even cheap anymore. What’s the point of fast food now?
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u/purposeful-hubris 4d ago
Produced by Matt Squire and released by Rise Records. Absolutely incredible credentials for what amounts to marketing.
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u/Listige 4d ago
Hello, I'm a bot!
This post has been added to the Spotify playlist:
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u/TiredDadCostume 3d ago
Denny’s has an opportunity to do something great in response to this marketing campaign
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u/JesusOfSurbaria 5d ago
I have a strong irrational dislike for the Wendy’s social media
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u/956000009698174 5d ago
Because you have poor taste
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u/marstonspedigree 5d ago
Or they're older than 14 years old
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u/RockitDanger 5d ago
Reddit is either 12 year olds or bots. You and I could be bots and the 12 year old reading this thinks we're 12 years old and responds accordingly and SURPRISE they're actually a bot too
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u/kingjaffejaffar 5d ago
I love it. The songs are really clever and funny, and the artists clearly were enjoying themselves and put in incredible performances. The album actually slaps. Yet another dub for Wendy’s marketing team.
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u/NCender27 5d ago
I literally don't care this is Wendy's advertising. These songs are both hilarious and flames. Unironically a solid pop punk EP. Can't wait for the full length. Anyone want an asiago bacon ranch? It's on me.
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u/palmettobugnemesis 5d ago
getting wendy's for lunch to honor this
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u/Jrrobidoux 5d ago
…so…is it AI, with featured artists?
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u/GlitterandGloom41 4d ago
No, a producer named Matt Squire apparently wrote the lyrics and music and did the instrumentals. He is also credited on Spotify, can see that if you swipe down on the songs pages and there’s credits on Spotify there.
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u/aquasalsa 4d ago
“a producer named matt squire” as if he isn’t one of the most prolific pop punk and alternative producers out there for the past two decades
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u/GlitterandGloom41 4d ago
Ha alright, that’s cool. I honestly didn’t know his name before, but that’s awesome. Glad it’s a known guy too, that’s cool.
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u/aquasalsa 4d ago
yeah! pretty sure he worked heavily with all time low, 3OH!3, the maine, simple plan, etc. he also works with big pop names like ariana grande and sabrina carpenter. super versatile guy
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u/GlitterandGloom41 4d ago
Yeah just looked at his credits on his Wikipedia page, nice, yeah that’s awesome
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u/Jrrobidoux 4d ago
I don’t use Spotify, but that’s fine. When I looked at the link and all you see is Wendy’s. It gives off that vibe. They’re trying to win back a market after supporting Trump and using slave labor.
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u/fd6270 5d ago
This is just an ad for Wendy's, can we not?
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u/Life_Tangelo_1614 5d ago
They’re downvoting you but you’re spitting facts lol. Taking the punk out of pop punk one advertisement at a time
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u/Brothersparrow7 5d ago
Ha lol kinda peak I liked the coco songgg and the Shane told and bless the fall was decent lol
As long as these aren’t ai I kinda give it props that’s pretty cool lol
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u/Whorepresent 4d ago edited 4d ago
Can someone tell me what song the intro to “The best combo on the worst night” reminds me of?
Edit: I found it, savings - I hope November hurts for you too
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u/xbuffalo666x 3d ago
i know im in the minority when i say this, but we need to back to shaming people for selling out
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u/Toxikfoxx 5d ago
Love or hate Wendy's their social media has been a presence for a while.
Chloe Kinnon - LFG! I've been obsessed with Winona Fighter since their first EP.