Derek Smalls, the bass force formerly of the fabled heavy metal band formerly known as Spinal Tap, is back with a vengeance – this time with his sights firmly set on the movie phenomenon of 2023, that advocate of everything pink and fluffy, Barbie. The self-described embodiment of lukewarm water reaches boiling point with Smalls’ first track in five years, “Must Crush Barbie,” an excoriating attack on the pink sensation available everywhere now via Bottomland Productions / Immortal Records.
“Must Crush Barbie” possesses the trademark qualities that Smalls and Spinal Tap are known for – raw, bass-heavy, and most importantly, LOUD, offering a much-needed antidote to the ubiquitous pinkness that has spilled out of movie theatres this summer and onto the high streets with wall-to-wall media coverage. With Barbie’s forthcoming streaming premiere promising no let-up on the horizon, the furious salvo that is “Must Crush Barbie” offers some kind of relief.
“Been spending the last year or so as Brand Ambassador for BruegelCoin, the Dutch cryptocurrency,” says Derek Smalls. “Since it was cratering this past spring, I was following the news more than usual, which is where I got bombarded by all the Barbie BS. I don’t know which angered me more, but it’s really hard to write a song about crypto. But the overwhelming shroud of pinkness definitely deserved a major pricking. And that’s where I came in.”
