On February 16th, 2024, Slovenian shagadelic rock band Joker Out released their newest single, ‘Everybody’s Waiting’. Although the majority of the band’s discography is in Slovenian, this song marks their second English release, excluding translations of their Slovenian tracks. The song addresses the anxiety and pressure people feel to do well in any aspect of their lives, encouraging the listener to acknowledge and accept these feelings. Lead singer Bojan Cvjetićanin struggles with these feelings himself, inspiring him and the band to write this song.
The song starts out very calm and mellow, with just Cvjetićanin’s voice and a light melody. “Hype comes, love goes, everybody fades,” he sings in the pre-chorus, “Just do everything the way you are told, case closed, soul sold.” These lyrics reveal the anxiety surrounding having to do everything right to stay popular and relevant, a theme that continues in the chorus: “Everybody’s waiting at the ball, for you to shine now, for you to shine now.”
From the second verse onwards, the song gets a bit more power with stronger instruments and voices coming in, bringing the band’s rock style back to the forefront. “There’s nothing left, just flight or die. Lonesome and run down, can’t tell the sky from the ground.” Despite the emotional lyrics of the song, the instrumentals make the song feel like a victory, like overcoming a fear and rediscovering yourself. This is in line with the band’s goal for the song: encouraging people to accept their anxious feelings and pressure to do well.
While the song is in a different language than we are used to from the band, we can be sure that fans are excited to sing along to it on Joker Out’s upcoming tour through Europe in March and April. Find a show near you here! And make sure to watch the music video, directed by Cvjetićanin himself, here.
Written by: Nèri Cliteur
Edited by: Ilse Muis
