In a topic that is rarely touched upon, Val Astaire takes on Big Pharma in his new single, Sweet Medicine which can be summed up in four words: dazzling, daring, and downright delectable.     

There’s something to be said for people who can disguise hard-hitting topics within bouncy, upbeat pop-rock. Val Astaire has done just that with his latest single, Sweet Medicine, which to most, would feel like another run-of-the-mill indie-pop love song. Astaire levels up the bright, 80s-ripe synths and high-keyed electric guitar with softly gritty, delightfully angsty vocals and a major call out to an oft-not talked about enemy: Big Pharma. Lyrics like “The way you make me feel is like if Heaven were real” teeter on the edge of romance – but that’s sort of the point. To a lot of people who struggle with addiction, it embodies the same feelings as romance. Sweet Medicine is clever, poignant writing wrapped up in a pleasant pop song. Do not miss it.

Explaining the track further, Val Astaire said:

‘Sweet medicine’ is framed as a love song that quickly shifts narrative by the first pre-chorus – revealing itself as a call out to big pharma and the ever so present opioid epidemic that so many people face today at the hands of companies and organizations that keep you sick for profit. It is imperative that we speak up about these types of issues and hold accountable the ones who are responsible, using any platform that we can.