Metro Villa’s new single “Shallow Graves” signals a new chapter for the rock band  – Texx and the City

Alternative rock band, Metro Villa, has been growing from strength to strength over the last year, and with their new single, “Shallow Graves”, they cement their status as one of the most exciting upcoming rock bands in SA.

After winning our Band Or Bust Vol. 1 at The House Of Machines in 2023, Metro Villa went on to open for rock legends Fokofpolisiekar, and indie darlings Desmond & the Tutus, while energetic honing their live set across different stages. 

Their new single “Shallow Graves”, comes almost a year after the release of their rollicking rock single “Michelle”, and stands in stark contrast lyrically, as lead singer Cameron Jenkins lays his lyrical heart on his sleeve. 

Written in 2022 when Cameron was going through a chaotic time in his life, the song was almost forgotten until drummer, Jonathan Raath, remembered that he had taken a video of Cameron’s impromptu performance. After bassist Damon Bendel and guitarist Daniel Nuttall heard the track at a subsequent band practice, they collectively decided that it had to be released. 

“This is a very personal song and it was very therapeutic to write,” Cameron explains when asked to share his interpretation of the track. “It’s really just about the façade of the people around us eventually crumbling down.” 

“Abuse affects so many of us and the abusers always seem to hide in plain sight, it’s almost as if the person [the abuser] you knew is gone,” Cameron continues. “Once they are caught or come to the surface, all the excuses start to pour out and they dig themselves a hole. Oftentimes we choose to ignore the signs and then feel guilty that we should’ve tried to step in sooner. The chorus of the song was meant to reflect pretending everything is fine, but in reality, these individuals are a fungus in disguise.”

With the tracking of the single done at Cape Town’s LuvBuzz Studios alongside the legendary George van der Spuy (Taxi Violence, Crawling King Snake) and the mixing and mastering done by Andrew Rawbone-Viljoen from the state-of-the-art Digital Forest Studios, the result is an expertly put together song that signals a new chapter for the band.