Bunch Of Fives – Mt. Misery

Ahead of their UK tour with New Jersey’s Lightheaded (Get your tickets here), Teesside lo-fi indie outfit Mt. Misery drop their brand new single ‘Lunch Break’ 

Recorded at Sun Loft Sounds and at their home in Hartlepool, the song is about being bothered on your lunch break to complete utterly inane tasks or a “quick catch up”. 

The track, with its snappy rhythms, lively licks and infectious poppy chorus that radiate a warm, college-rock/folky Americana charm, comes complete with a video that perfectly captures the drudgery of spending bait time in the office but broken up with a few bits of light relief in the form of bubbles, an inflatable giraffe and a musical performance. It’s the perfect watch/listen to help kill a little time as you try and see the afternoon out at your desk. 

Here, the band give us a bunch of fives on ways to spend your downtime at work…

All of us in Mt. Misery have worked in an office at one point, and some of us continue to do so. We’ve put our heads together and come up with five of the best (or worst?) ways to spend your lunch break, in celebration of our new single, “Lunch Break”.

Outside
One of the better ways to spend your break. Go outside, touch some grass, and take in the fresh air. If you’re nearby, it can also be a good opportunity to spend a bit of time enjoying the sights and sounds of your local town centre. Empty shop buildings and dodgy busking in our case.

In the car
This is a bold one because, if discovered, you run the risk of being labelled as an antisocial oddball by your colleagues. And it’s depressing to sit in the driver’s seat of your car knowing there are still five hours to go before you can actually drive home to freedom. But if you can look past these things, the car becomes a valuable fortress of solitude, where you can eat a tuna sandwich and a bag of Space Raiders away from the judgemental glare of your deskmates. 

In the break room
The opposite of a fortress of solitude, and fraught with the potential for awkward social interaction. You will learn terrible, horrific things about the people you work with, as they give their controversial takes on political events and delve into the minutiae of recent medical procedures, aqua aerobics sessions and more. The microwave is usually kept in here so think twice before bringing in a tin of soup for lunch. 

At your desk
Unfortunately, eating at your desk is sometimes seen by certain boundary-lacking individuals as an invitation to approach with trivial questions, requests to join Teams meetings and so on. Our advice would be to wear headphones at all times and pretend you’re on a call whenever someone passes by, just to be safe.

At home
The ideal lunch break scenario, reserved for the privileged few who get to enjoy the perks of a hybrid home/office work schedule. You’re free to do as you please, no longer bound by shackles of workplace convention. The possibilities are endless, the world is your oyster, you can do ANYTHING. Or you could just sit on the couch and look at your phone for half an hour. Got to log on again soon anyway.