Can you really be asked to choose between the person you love and the thing you love doing?
That’s the question at the heart of “Don’t Make Me Choose,” the new single from Brisbane’s Chloe Marks and the Mayhem.
For Braggy, this latest Music Discovery was particularly special because Chloe isn’t just another artist crossing our desk.
She’s a friend of the show.
And she’s back with a song that manages to combine an infectious country-boogie groove with a surprisingly emotional story about love, music, relationships and the choices we’re sometimes asked to make.
Welcome to Unfiltered & Undiscovered — Australia’s Home of Independent Music Discovery.
A Country Boogie With Something to Say
The first thing that grabs you about “Don’t Make Me Choose” is the energy.
This is a country-boogie track, and Braggy is immediately on board with that.
It’s lively.
It’s fun.
It’s got movement.
It’s the sort of song that makes you want to get up and move while you’re listening to it.
But underneath that upbeat musical approach is a much more serious subject.
The central lyric tells us exactly what the song is about:
“Don’t make me choose between who I love and what I love to do.”
That’s a pretty powerful proposition.
Because for musicians, artists and creatives, what they do isn’t necessarily just a job.
It’s part of who they are.
When Love Becomes an Ultimatum
Chloe wrote the song based on a real experience involving one of her band members.
The situation was painfully simple.
Their partner effectively issued an ultimatum:
It’s either the music or me.
And ultimately, the relationship came to an end.
It’s a familiar conflict for anyone who has ever tried to maintain a relationship while pursuing something demanding and deeply important to them.
Music can take time.
It can involve late nights.
Rehearsals.
Gigs.
Travel.
Weekends away.
Long hours.
And sometimes the person you love may feel like they’re competing with something that doesn’t have a face.
But from the musician’s perspective, asking them to give up their creative passion can feel like asking them to give up part of themselves.
That’s the tension Chloe captures in “Don’t Make Me Choose.”
The Interesting Thing About the Song
What makes the song work is that Chloe hasn’t turned the story into a miserable ballad.
Instead, she’s wrapped the story in country-boogie energy.
That’s an inspired choice.
The music has life.
It has attitude.
It has movement.
And that creates an interesting contrast with the emotional subject matter.
The song isn’t sitting around feeling sorry for itself.
It’s standing up and saying:
This is who I am.
And that’s a much more powerful position.
Two Reasons to Turn It Up
Braggy also picked up on something else that makes the track particularly enjoyable.
There are two standout instrumental solos.
One on piano.
One on guitar.
And both bring plenty of fire to the track.
For Braggy, that’s another reason “Don’t Make Me Choose” works so well.
The song isn’t just lyrically interesting.
There’s plenty happening musically as well.
The piano gets its moment.
The guitar gets its moment.
And the whole thing feels like a band enjoying what they do.
Which, given the subject of the song, feels particularly appropriate.
Music Isn’t Just Something You Do
There’s an important idea buried inside the story.
For many musicians, music isn’t something they simply do.
It’s something they are.
That’s not to say relationships aren’t important.
Of course they are.
But healthy relationships also need to allow both people to retain their identity, passions and ambitions.
The problem with an ultimatum like “It’s me or the music” is that it doesn’t really leave much room for compromise.
It turns two important parts of someone’s life into opposing sides.
And sometimes the choice isn’t between two people.
Sometimes it’s between being yourself and becoming someone else to keep someone happy.
That’s a much bigger question.
A Song About Boundaries
There’s another way of looking at “Don’t Make Me Choose.”
It’s a song about boundaries.
About saying:
I love you, but I also love this.
And perhaps the answer isn’t always to choose one over the other.
Maybe the challenge is finding a way for both to coexist.
For musicians, that might mean finding a partner who understands that the gigs, rehearsals and late nights aren’t competition.
They’re part of the person they’ve chosen to share their life with.
For partners, it can mean understanding that supporting someone’s passion doesn’t necessarily mean coming second.
It can mean recognising that their success and happiness can actually strengthen the relationship.
Of course, every relationship is different.
But Chloe has taken one very specific experience and turned it into something that plenty of people can relate to.
Chloe Marks and the Mayhem
For those who have been following Chloe Marks and the Mayhem, “Don’t Make Me Choose” is another step in an increasingly interesting musical journey.
And for those discovering Chloe for the first time, this is a pretty good introduction.
There’s energy.
There’s musicianship.
There’s storytelling.
And there’s a real experience behind the song.
That’s exactly the kind of combination we love discovering at Unfiltered & Undiscovered.
Bright Lights, Late Nights
“Don’t Make Me Choose” is set to appear on Chloe Marks and the Mayhem’s highly anticipated debut album, Bright Lights, Late Nights, scheduled for release on September 11.
Even the album title feels appropriate.
Because if you’re pursuing music, there are inevitably going to be bright lights and late nights.
The stage.
The rehearsal room.
The drive home after the gig.
The early mornings.
The excitement.
The exhaustion.
The people you meet along the way.
It’s a lifestyle.
And “Don’t Make Me Choose” gives us a glimpse of what can happen when that lifestyle collides with relationships.
Why Braggy Loves It
Braggy’s verdict is pretty straightforward.
He loves it.
And it’s not difficult to understand why.
You’ve got a great country-boogie track.
You’ve got a strong story.
You’ve got a memorable central lyric.
You’ve got a piano solo.
You’ve got a guitar solo.
And you’ve got a real-life experience sitting behind the songwriting.
That’s a pretty good recipe for a song worth discovering.
But perhaps the biggest compliment is that the track leaves you thinking.
Because most people understand what it’s like to love something.
A sport.
Music.
Art.
Running.
A career.
A business.
A creative pursuit.
Something that gives you a sense of identity and purpose.
And most people also understand relationships.
Sometimes those two worlds collide.
So, Would You Choose?
“Don’t Make Me Choose” doesn’t necessarily give us an easy answer.
And maybe it shouldn’t.
Instead, Chloe Marks and the Mayhem give us a song that asks us to think about the ultimatum itself.
Should love require you to give up the things that make you who you are?
Maybe the better question isn’t:
“Who do you choose?”
Maybe it’s:
“How do we build a life where there’s room for both?”
That’s a much harder question.
And perhaps a much healthier one.
🎵 Unfiltered & Undiscovered Verdict
“Don’t Make Me Choose” is a great example of why we started this Music Discovery section.
It’s not just about finding a new song.
It’s about finding the story behind the song.
Chloe Marks has taken a painful real-life experience and turned it into an energetic, infectious country-boogie track that refuses to wallow.
It’s a song about love.
It’s a song about music.
It’s a song about identity.
And ultimately, it’s a song about refusing to believe that you should have to sacrifice one part of yourself to keep another part of your life intact.
With its driving groove, burning piano and guitar solos, and a message that comes from genuine experience, “Don’t Make Me Choose” is another excellent discovery.
And with Bright Lights, Late Nights on the horizon, we’re looking forward to hearing what Chloe Marks and the Mayhem have in store next.
Discover Chloe Marks and the Mayhem
🎧 “Don’t Make Me Choose”
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