Sam: Listen to some reason. I don’t like you. You don’t like me. So, why don’t you just let us disappear?
Redford: Well, it’s tempting, but we can’t allow it.
Sam: Do not… cross… this… stick.
Redford: You’re doomed, Shakusky.
— from Moonrise Kingdom, directed by Wes Anderson

In Moonrise Kingdom, a pair of free-spirited coming-of-agers armed with their weapons of choice, a BB gun and a pair of lefty scissors, hold off a fascist hoard of Khaki Scouts attempting to force them into conformity. Spoiler alert: It doesn’t end well for the dog.

Was he a good dog? Who can say?

Ultimatums are always underscored with an unspoken OR ELSE! and therein lies the rub. Humans — or is it just Americans? — being hard-headed contrarians by nature, that OR ELSE! often inspires behavior that is not in the self-interest of one party or the other, or in the self-interest of the dog. I’m convinced that we could coerce the non-maskers to mask up if we ordered them to not wear a mask. The evolutionary advantage of this phenomenon is a mystery to scientists, and to the dog.

With ‘Ultimatum,’ Meeping explores a world peopled by strange and sometimes inscrutable beings, a world in which no one gets what they want — from friends, partners, or society — unless they demand it. And, even then, the results may be less than optimal. It is too easy to continue ignoring those who have been previously ignored, or those whose OR ELSE! lacks the punch of a pair of lefty scissors in the lower back.

I sent out an ultimatum
To the ones I thought could use one
I said what I wanted to
Didn’t get much of a reaction…

I can tell you’re having fun
Pointing once and watching me run
But it doesn’t seem right to me
To make it so easy
It doesn’t seem right to me

‘Ultimatum’ opens with a jumpy lead line, soon joined by a staccato bass seemingly in conflict with the guitar, a musical metaphor for the parallel frictions and resolutions described by the lyrics. The track has an understated energy, slightly dream poppy but with a clarity and focus that too many musicians lose under a sea of reverb. And in an indie world dominated by the Solo Project, it’s pleasant to encounter an arrangement by an actual band.

Based in Portland OR, Meeping is Rachel Zakrasek (vocals, guitar, keyboards, violin), Jake Pettit (bass), Julia Mahncke (lead guitar), and Daniel Baltazar (drums). ‘Ultimatum’ appears on their new eleven-song album, Rainbow Theory. The tracks explore themes of peace, conflict, assertion, reflection, friendship, and recovery; many were inspired by the music Meeping encountered during a tour of Japan way back in the pre-pandemic days of February.

Bonus Track: ‘You Can Do It Too,’ from Meeping and Friends: Japan Tour 2020 Compilation Album, a set of tracks by the bands that shared stages earlier this year.

Meeping’s music is available on Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music. And be sure to follow Meeping on Instagram and Facebook.