Brendan Dane, better known as Inconsistent Me is a rising pop-punk artist from Detroit, Michigan. He has been releasing music since 2019, and hasn't stopped since then. In 2024, Inconsistent Me released 6 separate singles and has already released 3 singles in 2025, with the newest one being Wrong Number, released April 18th. Stream the song here.
Discovering smaller/rising rock, punk and metal artists is something truly special, but discovering a smaller pop-punk artist is unique in its own way. They all have their own sound, but all of them share one theme. A lot of rising pop-punk artists all take their own twist on this "high school nostalgia" energy. Inconsistent Me does this extremely well, and not enough people recognize that.
Ever since the 2023 EP Creep Me Out, Inconsistent Me's music has always sounded like the kind of pop-punk you would hear throughout an early 2000s coming-of-age movie. Wrong Number carries a similar energy; a monologue for a conflicted and reflective protagonist who, in the beginning, refuses to give a second chance to an old, seemingly toxic relationship. But as the song progresses, the narrator wonders if their old flame really has changed, and wonders if there is a possibility of getting back together. The bridge has the narrator falling into a debate with themselves, wondering if their ex-partner really has changed or whether everything is still the same, and the song finishes on an uncertain note, both lyrically and musically.
When writing pop-punk, there are the "cloak a story or emotion in indecipherable metaphors" bands such as Fall Out Boy, and then there are the "tell the story directly but center it around one event or object" bands, such as Blink-182. Wrong Number definitely falls into the second category. The lyrics are very simple and direct. Unbridled by complex metaphors to muddle the meaning, the story and conflicting emotions of the narrator can shine through, accompanied by the bright guitar riffs and ambient backing vocals.
Those bright guitar riffs along with the symbol-heavy drum parts really evoke the sense of nostalgia -- listening to pop-punk through cheap headphones on the bus to school while staring miserably out the window. The ascending and descending notes of the melody not only sound pleasant to the ear, but also convey the roller coaster of emotions and conflict the narrator is experiencing. All this adds layers to an otherwise simple song, and also gives it that indie movie feature song feel to it. If you tried a little, you could probably imagine which part of that coming of age movie would be set to Wrong Number.
Regardless of personal interpretation of the song, most will agree that Wrong Number is a great song from an artist who is only rising to bigger heights and deserves it. Be on the lookout for more music and hopefully an EP or album from Inconsistent Me!
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