Songfacts®:

• According to Sebastien Grainger of Death From Above 1979, the lyrical concept of "Modern Guy" is driven by the opening lines:
  
  Progress
  Not a promise
  Devil's laugh
  If you go too fast
  
  In a Songfacts interview with Grainger and his bandmate Jesse F. Keeler, he explained: "It's a bit of a warning in that as we progress socially, if you don't do it right, it doesn't stick because you're rushing through it. And maybe something that could have happened over the course of a few years, if it happens over the course of a week or so, maybe you didn't do it right and maybe you missed some big details, and maybe the outcome won't be quite what you intended. So, it's a bit of a warning."
• This song is a great example of the band's gritty rock sound, propelled by Jesse F. Keeler's bass distortion effects. He relies mostly on amp distortion - not pedals - to create the sound. "It's like surfing a wave," he told Songfacts. "I don't want to just swoop down the hill and be on the flat part of the ocean again. I want to go along on that tube so there is sort of a sweet spot."