Chase Atlantic
MOLLY
Release: October 8, 2020
Review by Ciara O'Dea
In the song Molly by Chase Atlantic (written by Christian Anthony, Mitchel Cave and Clinton Cave), there are clear lexical links between the idea of 'Molly', or Ecstasy (the drug), and a love interest. These ideas are used to illuminate the concept of the addiction to love, or, moreover, the feeling of being needed and loved.
Within the first verse, Cave asks the question "Why rip the heart out of my chest?" This symbolism of 'ripping' somebody's heart from their chest is such an aggressive action, that you can tell just from reading the line itself, the narrator feels like the character Molly has stolen all of his love - also linked to "There's nothing left inside", almost like she owns it. Throughout the whole verse, this gives the idea that because she owns his emotions, she causes him to do reckless actions and make regrettable decisions, which can be a correspondence to the "Phantom dodging traffic" – Cave is driving, seemingly while intoxicated, perhaps because Molly caused him to do it for something, or a 'release'.
The blueprint of Cave needing a release can be manifested from the chorus: "You would lie to me", "You left me to die". It seems like Molly, causing him to act erratically, in the end, although telling Cave that all of it was worth it, even the inevitable happened (injury or death, or even Cave being arrested – which can be tied to the sentence about the police), and instead of aiding him, she fled the scene. Although the couple seem to be bonded to each other, Cave's idea of love is romanticised, in the way that Molly is only with him for a short period for the thrill, rather than a relationship that expands through these key interpretations.
If we also pair these ideas to Anthony's verse, "Popping lots of pills because I'm anxious", it seems like the narrator and Molly have been using their time together to take recreational drugs as well as going to parties and even drunk driving, which certainly support the evidence of Molly using him, which I described earlier. Although the narrator has given his whole heart, and maybe even life, for Molly, once the thrill dies out and Molly only senses sentimental value rather than the party life from him, she leaves him.
Another idea relating to Molly abandoning the narrator is that, when she "left me (him) to die", she caused him to overdose. Molly's name is a literal link to the whole concept of addiction, as her name is a common nickname used for Ecstasy. It can be taken one of two ways; when Cave describes "So I might give you up", he gives the impression that, although Molly, the character, is so addicting with her life and the love she gives, she is not good enough to have a relationship with, or alternatively, she does not want a relationship, which is what Cave wants to pursue with her.
This also can be roped to Anthony's speech about Molly turning "me (him) into an addict". Her love is so physically empowering, or chemically binding, like the drug Ecstasy to the brain (or even Dopamine – the chemical you feel with love – which can be simulated by the addictive drug Cocaine), that she's the reason he is addicted to the feeling of love. Molly makes the narrator feel needed and important – something all humans want to be to somebody they care about; although she is reckless, a bad influence and depends on him for recreational drugs, he cannot stop feeding into her lifestyle because she's so intoxicating.
Meanwhile, another bleak idea can occur – the song has nothing to do with addiction to love, but links to overdose. When Molly leaves Cave, this could mean that, after their night out, instead of Cave leaving Molly for her abusive lifestyle, he instead spends too much time with her, and the intake of recreational drugs causes him to overdose. More lines to support this are: "I can't see the stars because they're dancing", "Popping lots of pills because I'm anxious", and lastly: "You'll always be a friend to me, for life". If Cave's life ends this night because of Molly, his want to cut her out of his life is supported by his imminent death. They are no longer a couple, nor friends, because he is deceased.
In conclusion, the song Molly is used to display a hand-in-hand link to how addicting love is to the brain, and how abusive or 'toxic' this can be. Molly's name links to Ecstasy, notoriously known for being addictive, and the whole song displays how the narrator and Molly are bonded somehow. The chemical Dopamine, which along with other drugs, Molly provides, Cave feels most strongly with her, even though she is almost ruining his life and perhaps causing him to overdose.
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The trio themselves had the following to say about the new single:
“There comes a time in nearly everyone’s life where they have to make the difficult decision of whether to hold on to a deteriorating relationship, or let it go, even though it’s the thing they love most. Love, whether it be for another person or a chemical compound, is constantly an uphill battle. At the end of the day it’s up to us to decide whether or not that battle is truly one worth fighting. That being said; in some situations you just have to simply cut your losses and walk away. I hope we can still be friends.“
Listen to MOLLY on Spotify and Apple Music now, and follow Chase Atlantic on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.