Dust Bunnies Find Beauty in the Bruise on “Pop Songs”
“I’m falling for your city / All your records shine so elegantly.”
These are the first lines to the new single “Pop Songs” by the band Dust Bunnies. The Chicago local band is composed of four teen members: Matthias Leisen, August “Augie” Betke, Thalia Kouchoukos, and Jonah Ecclesine. Together they write, produce, and release all their music. “Pop Songs” is their lead single from their most recent album, Catfish, which was released on December 20th. Previously, they released their second EP titled Milwaukee District North.
The first line of “Pop Songs” sets up a romantic and wistful scene. The “city” may not be a literal place; it seems more like a metaphor for a person whose brightness pulls you in. The word “shining” promotes a fragile but beautiful feeling; something that is elegant and shimmering, but not necessarily permanent.
The song then moves into a darker space, with greater tension between admiration and a sense of being misused. The repeated lines, “You can’t see what you wanna take from me / You can’t bear to look away,” suggest neglect. This shifts the song from admiration to a longing for recognition. Furthermore, lines such as “You can’t even bear to even spell my name” reveal that the narrator’s identity may be being surpassed and hidden away. The narrator may be hidden away so much so that they become erased and unrecognizable to the person they’re addressing. The emotional arc from astonishment to pain gives the lyrics a bittersweet and melancholic tone. Furthermore, the contrast of glow and decay paints two drastically different pictures. With the lyrics “records shine so elegantly” and “covering the stained degraded wood,” Dust Bunnies contrast light and darkness and gloss and rot, showing a relationship that may seem bright and perfect on the surface but in reality, hides deeper damage below. The narrator also seems to attempt to hide the rot and ugliness behind a facade. The ambiguity of the metaphorical and abstract narrative is strong and can allow listeners to attach their own meaning to the song, but it also makes it harder to truly define a concrete meaning. Who is the “you”? A city? A person? A mental/emotional state?
At its core, “Pop Songs” explore the tensions between what shines on the surface and what quietly breaks underneath. It reads like a heartbreak song that hasn’t given up on honesty. It doesn’t rely on easy metaphors or clichés; instead, Dust Bunnies use vivid and surreal imagery in their lyrics—painted windows, degraded wood, eyes that refuse to be overlooked—in order to capture the feeling of being admired but also manipulated and overlooked. The song’s central theme is circled around invisibility. This is revealed when the narrator falls for a person or place that glows with elegance only to realize the truth that lays under the facade: neglect. Through the repeated refrain of “can’t bear to see,” the band reflects on being slowly erased. It’s a feeling of longing and the quiet ache of not being seen for who you truly are. “Pop Songs” stands out not for its polish but for its vulnerability. Dust Bunnies take a familiar approach with the emotional landscape and wanting to be seen, but they refine it with raw and imaginative detail. The track lingers because it refuses an easy solution; instead, it holds space for the uneasy truth. The truth that even listeners may paint over and the parts of life we overlook. It’s a quiet reminder that outward brilliance means little without truth and that allowing yourself to be truly seen is often one of the hardest things to ask for.