The Fray – Bad Name for a Bad Band

fray
-  /freɪ/ [frey]
1. a fight, battle, or skirmish.
2. a competition or contest, esp. in sports.
3. a noisy quarrel or brawl.
4. Archaic. fright.

When I hear the word “fray”, I immediately think of Freyja, the Norse Goddess of love, beauty, wealth, war, death, and magic. The word itself is very reminiscent of of Freyja and of her calling in that culture — fray implies conflict, war, possibly even tragedy and death.

In my ‘profession’ at a popular restaurant chain, we are forced to play a variety radio station throughout the store . I have known for a while that this station is about as terrible as they get, as I hear the same shitty songs every single day. The main offender has been a song called “Never Say Never“. The lead singer continues to chant the words, “Don’t let me go” repeatedly as synth strings get stronger and stronger. I have never heard any of the other words in this song, I didn’t know there were any, and finding the song online was about as troublesome as having to hear it.

Obviously, this is a track by The Fray, who I now know can also claim the nauseating “You Found Me“. I am almost as offended by this band’s music as I am by the word they chose to refer to their themselves. Why the hell has a so-called “Piano Rock” band “with Christian influences” adopted this word as their monicker? It makes absolutely no sense.

For any potential bands this may reach, please be sure to find an appropriate word or phrase for your band’s sound. Furthermore, please try not to make shitty music. Beyond that, if you realize that shitty music is all you can play, please just stop playing it. Please.