THE FOX BY THE PENNY CANDIES

Indie folk band (I don’t know if this is the most accurate genre placement, but I’m going with it) The Penny Candies just released their latest single, “The Fox.”

There are a lot of foxes represented in pop culture. There’s Swiper from Dora the Explorer, the heartthrob Robin Hood from the Disney animated classic, Robin Hood (along with Maid Marian), Nick Wilde from Zootopia, Tod from The Fox and the Hound, Tails from Sonic, Mr. Fox and his family from Fantastic Mr. Fox, Fox McCloud from Star Fox, and the Fox from a personal favorite of mine, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.

No matter the character, every one of these foxes is depicted in one way or another as sneaky, sly, untrustworthy, or dangerous. “The Fox” by The Penny Candies is no exception. However, one thing I love to do with this song is to think about how different of a song it is by picturing any one of the aforementioned foxes. It’s a completely different song (and much funnier) when you imagine it’s talking about Swiper, Robin Hood, or Mr. Fox.

Whether it’s the song’s cadence, or lead singer Riah Hansen’s enunciation, “The Fox” reminds me of a musical. It falls somewhere between the musical that Bearclaw and Jess create in New Girl, an animated Disney movie, and Into the Woods. The song’s storytelling and imagery are its strengths. And even though it may not teach you what the fox says, the song effectively builds a world and immerses you in it, constantly keeping you guessing what comes next.

​There is an alternative interpretation of this song, which is that it’s about Corey Fox, owner of Velour in Provo. If you upset him, you might be added to his collection of taxidermy animals, right up there with the buffalo.*

*I have no evidence to substantiate this interpretation.