The Distance

Cake arrived in the mid-1990s and were immediately their own genre — John McCrea's deadpan vocal delivery, the trumpet of Vince DiFiore, the stripped-back production that made every element count, and a lyrical sensibility that was sardonic without being mean.

The Distance is their most iconic track: a song about a racing driver who keeps going even after everyone else has stopped — a metaphor that works for obsession, stubbornness, or simply the refusal to accept that something is over.

Cake's catalog is more consistent than their reputation suggests. Fashion Nugget remains their high point.