"Finish Line" by Book of Beart (Review)
- cdromrabbithole
- Jan 15
- 4 min read
Happy Friday! I’m excited to bring on a BRAND NEW featured artist today! We will be reviewing the song “Finish Line” by Book of Beart, released on March 21st, 2025. Book of Beart is a prog-rock and alternative musical artist, a solo project brought to us by Robert Becker of Easton, PA. Unfortunately, this artist doesn’t currently have a Bandcamp page, however, on the bright side, I was able to consume this song as a music video on YouTube, which is definitely a plus. The music video opens on a man passed out in his car, only to be approached by a friend who drags him out of the car and brings him to a party. There are glitches and overlays in the video editing that allow for an atmosphere that puts us in the shoes of the narrator and main character. It seems heavily implied that this character was unconscious because of heavy substance use, and now they are returning to the party, still high or drunk, to go get more intoxicated. The video is edited to look like one long take, following this character as he explores the house party and interacts with various different people and the games they are playing. A little less than halfway through the song, the music dies down and gets more shoe-gazey, and the music video provides visuals that match this vibe as the character walks up a dark flight of stairs, only some light peaking in through the window, creating a foggy and ghostly environment. Throughout the video, there are occasional run-ins with interesting characters, such as a bunny man in the shower and a bearded dragon person playing video games; but it is at this point in the song where the video takes a darker and creepier turn. As the main character enters the upstairs, the camera becomes shaky and blurry as it tries to hone in on some masked figures that are aggressively arguing with each other. The video gets a bit more vibrant but a lot glitchier as the band comes together in a tight bedroom and rocks out for the end of the song. The video ends with our frontman collapsing into bed, continuing his slumber. Now that we’ve done a brief look at the music video, we can dive into more of the sound and lyrics of this track. The song starts with crunchy, yet reverbed, guitar notes, almost giving a slow midwest-emo sounding riff, and with a guitar strum and fade out, the vocals join in.
“You better…
Shape up, leave no trace of
The person you were
Make no mistake of
Displaced love, memories make it hurt
Slow to change, repeat the same days, but on a different page
Same old story
This is how it is, nothing left to fix, consequence is so redundant”
This opening stanza feels like an ultimatum, whether it’s internal or externally directed at someone else. There is an immediate theme of erasure and the pressure and imposter syndrome that comes with reinventing yourself. However, it also feels that this reinvention is actually more of a superficial change that will always lead back to the problematic, cyclical behaviors.
“I thought that you were in it to the finish line
Now you’re jumping off the deep end I'm hung out to dry
Guess I was too naive to even see the signs
Finger on the trigger then you change your mind”
The chorus has a lot to say about this relationship and its dynamic. First, it uses two sides of the same coin, showing two different extremes but still emphasizing that neither person is really getting a great outcome (jumping off the deep end and being hung out to dry). The chorus is sung with a cool, smooth voice and is very catchy. The idea of the “finish line” works exactly as a light at the end of the tunnel, or a means to an end. But specifically pairing it with “finger on the trigger”, it reminds me of when a gunshot is fired to begin a race. In this metaphor, it’s almost like this person has the ability to make the narrator start all over from scratch, back at the beginning, in an instant, impulsive decision.
“So tell me…
How she hates my guts
It didn’t even take that much
I’m over losing all my sleep
When your actions caused a rift between,
you and me”
This stanza is all about how disposable the narrator feels; they’ve lost absolutely everything, including their sleep, and are trying to take back the power and pin the blame on the opposing party. Enough time has passed that the emotional distress has become physically exhausting, and they can’t continue down the path of losing their sense of self and deteriorating their health. After all, this relationship didn’t have the strongest foundation to begin with; it was very easily dismantled and left behind, and the speaker has to remind themselves that, after so much self-blaming, this was always going to end poorly.
“Stuck in a constant state of disarray
Moving paces and changing shape
For what it’s worth I’ve given all that I am
Now we’re just withered flowers in an unkept garden
But I can’t seem to make it stop
No matter how hard I push and I pull
There’s no use to try
And I can seem to break on through to you
To you”
This bridge really reinforces the instability in this character’s life. It ties back into earlier stanzas with “moving paces and changing shape”, how this person keeps trying to mold themselves into something new, but always falling flat on the execution or longevity. They’ve given everything about themselves and can no longer even fathom who they were in the first place; their identity is literally withering. The visual of an unkept garden suggests deliberate malice or indifference, refusing to nurture the flowers; it isn’t accidental that they have all died. This narrator has reached an absolute wall and can't seem to break through it, whether it be a stalemate in an argument or the emotional confusion, everything seems completely futile. This is a really well-made song; the instrumentals are thought-out and malleable, shifting vibes and intensity with such ease and flow. I really enjoyed checking out “Finish Line” by Book of Beart, and I hope you all take the time to sit down and watch the music video! You can find Book of Beart in a PLETHORA of places, so check out all the links below!
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