3 minutes and 33 seconds of anti-establishment fervour wrapped in a guitar riff that sounds a bit off-kilter. Gross by Jared Bond is a direct attack on the power structures of our society. These establishments operate on greed and exploitation of the working class. And this makes Jared want to puke.
An unambiguous strike at the superstructures, the track lays out the visual of a soiree-like setup, where the rich go to eat. Their bibs have got blood on them, and their skin is turning green. You see these lyrics being reflected in the cover art. It looks like the mascot of the game Monopoly was found in one of these dinners, an absolute glutton who is now seen retching money out because one has just had too much of it.
The obese Rich Uncle Pennybags (aka Mr Monopoly) has a swollen red nose and grotesque red smile, symbolising the clown the artist sees in this caricature. The childlike artwork diametrically opposes whatever greed and corruption the figure stands for, with innocence and creativity as a form of resistance. Jared Bond is a musician from Kansas City, Missouri. He has worked as an ICU nurse for some time, and so we best believe he understands the implications when he says:
You are a virus Keeping everybody ill You hide the vile So you can sell the pill Your tongue is poison Swollen with lies That’s a claim even you Can’t deny.
The chorus of the song brings back the morally bankrupt figure and puts it on trial. These systems that allow for the rich to get richer are absolutely gross, and Jared gets that right.
