Mia Berrin began Pom Pom Squad when she was eighteen years old. She soon moved to New York City where she performed solo under the name Pom Pom Squad and with an early iteration of the band, with whom she released the EP Hate It Here in 2017.
Berrin later met bassist Mari Alé Figeman and drummer Shelby Keller at club show and reformed the band. Guitar duties fluctuated between Ethan Sass and Alex Mercuri for a period until Mercuri became the permanent fourth member.Pom Pom Squad released their EP Ow in September 2019. The band built critical buzz during this time and were booked for multiple SXSW showcases as well as supporting tour dates with The Front Bottoms and Disq; these dates in 2020 were ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During 2020, Pom Pom Squad released a series of covers and the original single "Red with Love."
On March 2, 2021, it was announced that Pom Pom Squad had signed with the Berlin independent label City Slang. With the announcement, the band released the single "Lux." Their first full-length album Death of a Cheerleader was released on June 25, 2021.
In December 2021, the band released a cover of Nada Surf's hit "Popular," featuring their vocalist/guitarist Matthew Caws on backing vocals. The accompanying video replicated Nada Surf's 1996 video shot for shot, with Berrin playing each of the major characters. Pom Pom Squad's video was filmed at the same location as the original video.
Members
Pom Pom Squad is:
Mia Berrin - Vox, GTR (head cheerleader)
Mari Alé Figeman - Bass (witch)
Shelby Keller - Drums (camp counselor)
Alex Mercuri - Lead GTR (token male)
Lux
Pom Pom Squad Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It might be something in your tone
That you would leave me here to find my own way home
You can take my peace
Leave me rotting like the leaves
But I won't ever let you say you cared about me
And suddenly I knew my body was not my own
You push and I give way collapsing inward like a cave
And I feel naked without taking off any of my clothes
In a crowded high school dance
In a cloud of peach alcohol
I let myself get drunk on the idea that you loved me
'Cause in here I'm suffocating
But out there I feel so small
What a wonder to be anything at all
When I hear your pretty words
I should be listening to the sound
Of my feet against the ground
In the opposite direction
How do you expect me to figure myself out
When I cannot tell the difference between bad and good attention
Everybody telling me that life goes on
Meet me tonight in the garage
I'll show everybody telling me that life goes on
Meet me tonight in the garage
Meet me tonight in the garage
The lyrics to Pom Pom Squad's song "Lux" highlight the feeling of being trapped in a toxic and emotionally manipulative relationship. The singer has a "sinking suspicion" that something isn't right in the way their partner talks to them and treats them. The partner is willing to leave the singer stranded and lost, but the singer refuses to let them believe they ever cared. The first verse sets the tone for the rest of the song and the bleak picture of a one-sided and harmful relationship.
The second verse describes the singer's vulnerable state when they are intimate with their partner. They feel like their body isn't their own, and they're giving in to their partner's demands without much resistance. It's a raw description of feeling powerless and exposed, and the singer compares it to being naked without taking off any clothes. In the chorus, the singer admits to intoxicating themselves with the idea of love, but the reality is suffocating. They are small and insignificant in the relationship, and they cannot tell the difference between good and bad attention.
The final verse depicts the conflict between listening to their partner's "pretty words" or finding their own way. The singer's confusion about what is right or wrong for them is highlighted in the line, "How do you expect me to figure myself out when I cannot tell the difference between bad and good attention?" The song ends with a declaration to meet in the garage, a symbolic location for youth rebellion and escape. The song as a whole is a poignant and powerful statement on the dangers of being trapped in a toxic relationship and the struggle to break free.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got a sinking suspicion
I have a strong feeling that something is wrong
It might be something in your tone
Your way of speaking may be causing this feeling
That you would leave me here to find my own way home
You've left me alone and abandoned, without guidance or support
You can take my peace
You have the power to disrupt my inner calm
Leave me rotting like the leaves
Leave me to decay and deteriorate like fallen leaves
But I won't ever let you say you cared about me
I refuse to accept that you ever truly cared for me
My collar in your first pulling me into your kiss
As we embrace, you grab my collar and pull me in for a deep kiss
And suddenly I knew my body was not my own
I became aware that I was losing control over my own body
You push and I give way collapsing inward like a cave
Your forcefulness makes me feel small and powerless, like I'm shrinking inward like a collapsing cave
And I feel naked without taking off any of my clothes
Your gaze makes me feel exposed and vulnerable even though I'm fully clothed
In a crowded high school dance
I'm at a bustling event filled with young people
In a cloud of peach alcohol
Surrounded by the sweet scent and taste of peach-flavored alcoholic drinks
I let myself get drunk on the idea that you loved me
I allowed myself to believe that you had true feelings of love for me
'Cause in here I'm suffocating
Being in this situation is stifling and overwhelming
But out there I feel so small
But when I try to escape, I feel even more insignificant
What a wonder to be anything at all
It's amazing that we exist at all, despite the pain and confusion we may face
When I hear your pretty words
When I listen to your charming and alluring speech
I should be listening to the sound
I should be paying attention to the footsteps I make on the ground
Of my feet against the ground
The sound of my own movement and direction
In the opposite direction
Going away from the direction that you're leading me
How do you expect me to figure myself out
How can I be expected to understand and discover my true self
When I cannot tell the difference between bad and good attention
When I can't differentiate between negative and positive kinds of attention
Everybody telling me that life goes on
Everyone is reminding me that time moves forward despite my struggles
Meet me tonight in the garage
Let's meet up later in the garage
I'll show everybody telling me that life goes on
I'll prove to them that I'm still alive and capable of moving on
Meet me tonight in the garage
Let's meet up later in the garage
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Mia Berrin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BAZOOKAFLOW
I'm a 45 year old black man who turned 46 on march 1st. I'm tripping for the first time in over a year and I happened to let the ad play for this video. Glad I did, this shit is punk! like OG punk. And the video intro with the dudes coming out the car like that is funny AF! Whatever the case, saw the name Mia Berrin and circled back around to struggle through this comment while I'm tripping because people like you give me faith in you youngens! I'll circle back later to find out about you and your band. Worth it! GOD SPEED!
Mike Mckinnon
Meet me tonight in the garage is creepier than anything Glenn Danzig ever sang, man. Jeezus. Ha. Also 46, btw. Totally agree.
K M
Your comment made me smile - hope the rest of your trip was good (I can’t stop listening to them! )
krashkow
"The only reliable boy who got to know Lux during that time was Trip Fontaine, but his sense of honor kept us in the dark for years. Only eighteen months before the suicides, Trip Fontaine had emerged from baby fat to the delight of girls and women alike...."
mydearestprudence
The Virgin Suicides is one of my favorite films ♥️
ashinretrograde
I already know I'm going to love this.
Helen Fox Solomita
I saw you guys perform at firefly this weekend and i cannot get enough of this track!!!! 🔥
Amir Royale
I'm terrified about how good this is going to be. Omg omg.
🌸🌺🌹❤️😭🙏🏽😔🙏🏽😭❤️🌹🌺🌸
Swag Society Official
Bruh
Naughty Panda
Keep coming back, y'all are what the punk music scene of the 2020's should embody