SA: Punkfontein and Meel Vignetting share The Leviathan

The track is available for streaming and download on all major digital platforms.

The collaborative offering was first conceptualised in late 2022 when Punkfontein members started entertaining the idea of working with Vignetting after playing a show together. Surprisingly, before she was informed, Vignetting reached out to Punkfontein asking for a collaboration.

A week later, they started work on the single and after several iterations, they scheduled a session at KVD Studios in Randfontein before it was sent to Audio Nebula for mixing and Westenhaus for mastering.

“I wrote the initial music for this song about three years ago, and I’ve been sitting on the idea, waiting for the right moment. Punkfontein guitarist and vocalist Gareth said. “This song came straight to mind when the opportunity to collaborate with Meel [Vignetting] materialised.”

Commenting about the title of the track, Vignetting said the leviathan is a metaphorical monster. “The line ‘With our monsters we are always being hunted’, expresses how I sometimes feel like I’m drowning in my ‘challenges’, and how I’ve always wished that I could fly away from all of it, like Mary Poppins with her umbrella,” she said. “My favourite line on the song is ‘Fight forever to right our wrongs’. That’s probably one of the most important things in life to me, to face consequences and right my wrongs.”

The bands also pay homage to No Doubt’s album Tragic Kingdom on their cover artwork. “We initially wanted a visualisation of a leviathan for our cover art but felt it might be a bit harsh. Being huge fans of Blink 182 and No Doubt, we were initially planning a tribute show during our recording process, then decided to pay homage with our cover art to the classic and timeless album Tragic Kingdom from No Doubt. We all have such a positive and fond connection to this album from a time when music like this sculpted us,” Vignetting added.

Punkfontein is a punk rock quartet hailing from the western outskirts of Gauteng in South Africa. Formed by a lifelong friendship spanning well over a decade, its music comes from a post-teenage angst era and boasts a message of inspiration and positivity. The group has a fun and free writing style based on stories, experiences and tragedies endured and overcome.

Vignetting fronts the eponymous South African four-piece indie rock band Meel Vignetting. She has been playing guitar since the age of six, singing since eight, and writing original music since about 12. She feels music is the only way to truly express herself without question. As an introvert, getting on stage is one of the scariest things on earth, but she loves the challenge of letting go on stage, and every time outgrows the challenge.