Single: Public Meltdown – Pay No Mind
A poignant, potent blend of influences.
By Kinda Grizzly / February 16, 2026
Public Meltdown’s third studio single is a poignant, potent blend of influences.
The product of vocalist Ethan Kent, JJ on guitar duties, Clayton Rarick providing bass, and Cam Myher behind the drums, Pay No Mind is a smorgasbord of rock styles.
It’s a rich and detailed tapestry which includes bits of alternative rock, grunge, shoegaze, hard rock, and even – whisper it – an almost nu metal element.
The track shimmers and simmers at the outset, starting slowly and subtly – and, it must be said, quite beautifully – before eventually blossoming into an explosion of sound with the glistening chorussy guitars giving way to abrasive distortion and pounding drums. The vocals go from soft and gentle in the verses to absolutely HUGE in the chorus and, of course, back again.
Later in the song, we meet a Smashing Pumpkins-style lead guitar tone over a fuzzy Deftones-esque wall of noise. There is also inspiration – we would suggest – from the likes of Alice In Chains, Alter Bridge, and Staind. It’s excellently made and engineered – shout out to the good people at Carpet Booth Studios.
Fans of the aforementioned rock sub-genres will certainly dig it and – given the obvious accessibility here – it may even convert a few non-believers along the way.