POINT BROKE: PRESIDENT’S DEBUT LEAVES ME WONDERING WHO’S ROBBING WHO

There’s a moment during President’s Download Fest reveal when I genuinely thought I was watching a low-budget Point Break sequel — not because of the music, but because of the masks. I half expected someone to shout, “I am an F.B.I. agent!”

But nope. It was President, the newest masked-metal sensation, making their official debut.

Let me be honest upfront: I gave them a shot, and I still don’t know what to make of it all.

The music? It’s just safe and feels streamlined.

And the masks? Let’s talk about those. If Ghost is the Vatican of theatrical metal, President is the dollar-store White House replica. Their look screams, “We have masks too! Honestly, it made me miss the surf-robbing ex-presidents from Point Break — at least those guys had charisma and a reason for wearing masks.

The conspiracy corner of the internet is already throwing around the term “industry plant,” and while I usually roll my eyes at that stuff, I get it. President didn’t crawl up from dingy clubs. They arrived with clean press photos, curated aesthetics, a media strategy, and a suspiciously polished debut. It’s the musical version of Undercover Boss. Someone sent them from corporate.

So I’m not slamming the door completely shut, but I still feel the riffs feel borrowed, the masks feel costume-y, and the whole thing feels like theatrics.

So yeah, President? Not my cup of tea. Feels like pop-metal cosplay, trying too hard to be mysterious while following every marketing trend in the book.

Just maybe next time... leave the Point Break masks at home.