‘Family Fun’ is the excellent new single from Londoner Mellah; he is a multi-talented instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and generally difficult to categorize performer. Previous singles include the laconic groove and expanded bedroom pop of ‘Death, Pillage, Plunder’ from 2019 and the earlier disconnected otherworldliness of ‘What It Is’. He has also contributed to the soundtracks of cult and cool TV’s ‘Black Mirror’ and ‘Moomin Valley’, adding to the enigmatic nature of his music.
This latest track is a biting criticism of modern societal priorities, set to a pop tune that romps home and carries the words along in a torrent. There are a lot of ideas crammed into less than three minutes but there is still time for a more placid instrumental interlude near the end.
The icing on the cake is the video – a twisted version of mega-popular gameshow ‘Family Fortunes’ that certainly drives home the message. It also echoes a recent comment in an interview with Mellah about his words being about ‘…. the shiny façade of everything, whereas underneath it’s pretty grotesque…..‘