“Sheila Put the Knife Down” by Junior Prom is the kind of song that sounds exactly like you might expect it to before hearing a second of it or knowing a single thing about the band. Or rather, it sounds exactly like a song called “Sheila Put the Knife Down” by a group called Junior Prom should.
The Brooklyn-based synth pop duo of Mark Solomich and Erik Ratensperger sling out lyrics like “You’re an only child and it really shows” and “It’s every young girls dream to catch her boyfriend digging in her purse” while backed by an upbeat and dance-y melody that makes it all appropriately goofy. Though they don’t sound anything alike (except maybe in vocal delivery), I can’t help but be reminded of early 2000s emo pop bands when listening to this tune, mainly Panic! at the Disco, probably because of the overtly tongue-in-cheek nature of it.
Junior Prom seems to be embracing of the absurdity of what they’re doing — the music video of this track is one continuous shot of Solomich bound to a chair while a woman (presumably Sheila) holds a knife the size of a watermelon to his throat. It’s a light, unnervingly catchy, and fun summer tune. Go enjoy it outside.