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Man Random’s new single is an ode to (and the result of) procrastination

 Four men sit on the grass with their backs against a cinder-block wall decorated with street art.
Man Random / Facebook

Every week, Milwaukee Music Premiere connects the city’s artists with our listening audience. If you’re an artist with a track you’d like us to debut exclusively on Radio Milwaukee, head over to ourMusic Submission page to learn how.

Does it still count as putting off something if you accomplish something completely different because you put off that first thing? Probably. But at least we all benefit from Man Random’s Steven Baird going through that scenario, which resulted in this Milwaukee Music Premier of “Check Engine Light.”

When most people are in avoidance mode, they find a mindless task or pointless chore to keep them from the work thing or the personal thing that should be at the top of their to-do-list. Baird wrote a hooky rock song with an infectious chorus you can hum the next time you find yourself washing the same dish over and over or running out for an unnecessary cup of coffee rather than tangling with your real responsibilities:

The only thing I’m good at 
Is putting off my problems
No matter how easy
It is for me to solve them

And there’s a check-engine light
Lit up on my dashboard
It’s a simple warning sign
One I’ve chosen to ignore
But I keep driving

“I started writing it as a literal act of procrastination,” Baird explained of the song’s genesis. “I picked up a guitar and started noodling and writing the chord progressions when I was putting off doing something I needed to be doing."

In the spirit of helping procrastinators everywhere, we made it very easy to hear “Check Engine Light” right away by using that “Listen” button at the top of the page. But, if you’re really committed, you can turn on 88Nine and wait for the song to pop up in the station’s playlist, or hear it live at Man Random’s upcoming shows June 10 at Zoxx Social Club in Janesville and July 21 at High Dive in Milwaukee.