eXcubitors – The Rat Race

“Suffering on Repeat” – eXcubitors battle routine

The track “The Rat Race” by eXcubitors is a sol­id example of synth pop and exudes that cer­tain depress­ive mood that I appre­ci­ate so much in this genre. At the same time, it radi­ates a kind of lib­er­a­tion that con­trasts par­tic­u­larly well with the rather dark, socially crit­ic­al lyr­ics. Lines like “Trapped in the rat race, for far too long” or “Stay in your lane” strike a chord with me – that con­stant pres­sure, that need to func­tion, is some­thing every­one is famil­i­ar with. That's exactly what appeals to me on a lyr­ic­al level.

Musically, how­ever, “The Rat Race” falls a little short of its pre­de­cessor “Burning Bridges” for me. I think the song could have done with a more catchy chor­us – some­thing that sticks in your head bet­ter or stands out more clearly in terms of sound. That's what I find miss­ing here. Nevertheless, the track serves its pur­pose. For me, it's the kind of song I like to listen to every now and then when I need some­thing to pick me up briefly but not com­pletely take over.

“The Rat Race” is part of the cur­rent album "Beyond The Silence", which shows me that eXcubitors con­sist­ently deliv­er – even if not every song is equally powerful.

Listen to "eXcubitors – The Rat Race" on Spotify

Listen to "eXcubitors – The Rat Race" on Bandcamp

Lyrics of "eXcubitors – The Rat Race"

Eyes on the ceil­ing, specters crawl below.
Grinding us down, with nowhere to go.
Stuck in a cycle, our vis­ion fades.
Running so long, we for­got the rays.
Can't count the bruises or scars we hide.
Hope is gone, and the truth denied.
Once there was light on rup­tured ground,
But empti­ness spreads, no savior found.

Stay in your lane,
stay in your lane,
I could step aside, but I still remain.
Stay in your lane,
stay in your lane,
A demon's hold­ing me down in chains.
A king­dom lies beneath our feet,
Lost worlds we'll nev­er get to meet,
If we keep suf­fer­ing on repeat –
Why are we suf­fer­ing on repeat?

Trapped in the rat race, for far too long,
My long­ing for change, has grown so strong.
Chasing a prize that was nev­er real,
Now I break free, remem­ber how to feel.

Get out of my lane,
out of my lane,
If I stay in this lane I’ll go insane
Get out of my lane,
out of my lane,
I can step aside, I’ll break the chain.

A king­dom lies beneath my feet,
New worlds that I am set to meet.
I won’t keep suf­fer­ing on repeat.
Now I am free, I feel the beat.

Now I am free,
Now I am free,
Now I am free,
I feel the beat.