“Melody” is episode twenty of season one of First Wave.
The episode begins at a concert being given by a band, Sonic War. A police car pulls up outside the venue and the officers get out. They ask if the place has a permit. A man says it’s clean; no alcohol, no drugs. But what about the permit? The application was approved; they just haven’t got the papers through yet. The officer tells him no permit, no music. They enter the club and are trying to clear it out, without much luck. Someone alters a control on the sound board and both officers get attacked by the crowd of teenagers.
Cade gas arrived in Detroit after two cops got assaulted by a crowed of teenagers in an underground club. Both are in critical condition and the parents are blaming the band for inciting violence. Cade enters a coffee shop where two of the band members are. He speaks to them and the drummer, Billy (Tyler Labine), gives what sounds like a form statement. Cade tells him he’s not a reporter; he’s an A&R exec from Intruder Records. Billy says major labels have no soul. Cade isn’t making a contract offer; he just wants to hear the music. Billy asks where cade was when they were just starting out. Cade tells a bunch of lies related to big bands. The other band member, Jeremy, says to talk to Kat; she makes the call. And their manager, Preston Barry. Both will be at the recording studio.
At the studio, Preston is telling Kat to keep it low and mean. She’d rather not. As they take a break, Cade speaks to Preston. Regarding the incident last week, Preston says those sorts of things happen all the time. Kids are wild, who can explain it? Preston doesn’t want to give a demo tape and the band is followed by the alternative crowd. If they sign to a major label, they’ll be thought of as sell-outs. They don’t want to sign to one of Intruder’s smaller labels either; they are going to start their own label with their own investors.
Outside, one teenager, Fig, is handing some Sonic War flyers to some others. He also has a bootleg tape of the concert. Kat goes past and a man tells the teenagers to clear out. Fig is listening to the tape. Cade meets Kat in the cafe and asks about the band. She and Jeremy have been friends since they were kids and Billy joined them a few years ago. Cade asks about Preston; he’s never heard of him. Apparently, he’s DJ’d all over the world. Cade mentions that Preston said they weren’t interested in signing for a major label. Kat doesn’t appear to agree. She also invites Cade to tonight’s gig to hear them live. Outside, Fig has gone off on one.
The other kids bolt and Cade follows one and grabs him. He pretends to be a Vice detective and questions the teenager about Fig and if he was listening to Sonic War. The teenager says yes. The music is freaky, it gives you a rush and makes you want to tear someone’s head off.
Kat is annoyed with Preston for turning down a label. He tells her a conglomerate will take over her sound and it won’t be her sound any more. Kat wants a record deal but Preston says they are going to set up their own and a distribution network and keep control of their music. Kat objects to Preston including himself in that. She also doesn’t like how kids respond with anger to their music. Preston tells her the angry sound sells more tickets. Preston manages to turn Kat around and, afterwards, he rings up Intruder checking up on Cade’s false identity. And gets Eddie.
Cade speaks to Eddie and Eddie thinks the manager is the perfect alien front. Cade wonders if it’s drugs but Eddie says the quatrain suggests music. Sonic War plays rage rock. Cade doesn’t think the band is alien, based on instinct, and wants to get a tape that Eddie can analyse. Trying to get into the gig with a recorder doesn’t work. Kat is colder towards Cade this time; she doesn’t want to sell out to a big conglomerate.
The first song of the gig is rather different tone and Kat spends a lot of the time staring at Cade. The next song is angrier and the crowd instantly get a lot more violent. Cade manages to swipe Fig’s tape during the gig. but the crowd get very violent. Kat isn’t terribly happy about this, and Jeremy even less, but Billy thinks they are doing well from Preston and Kat is going along with Preston. Preston is the logical suspect to be an alien and it seems that a certain type of music Sonic War play, the angry stuff, incites violence.