Following acclaim from the likes of Craig Charles on BBC 6Music and John Kennedy at Radio X for last year’s EP Chaos, and set to share the stage with Foo Fighters this summer, Manchester band Loose Articles have now announced the release of their debut album later this year.
Our first taste of the album, ‘I’d Rather Have A Beer‘, roars into existence with fuzzy guitar riffs and a bouncy, upbeat rhythm that is instantly catchy.
The lyrics, delivered in an amazingly dry Mancunian accent, begin reflectively. The opening lines reminisce about the diets and parties of youth, narrowing in on the way teenage girls shape their lives and themselves with the primary aim of impressing boys who wouldn’t make the same effort back. The high energy beat and sense of humour in the vocals give a clear impression that these memories are invoked with some fondness, but nonetheless that they are best left in the past.
The music drops away for the chorus to really drive home the key message of the track: “Now that my thoughts are clear / Instead of you / I’d rather have a beer”. It directly addresses every unsatisfying hook-up from their past and makes it clear that whatever influence they used to have is long gone. Their opinion doesn’t matter, they’re not getting what they want, they are being left behind with the other regrets.
The song as a whole is a warning – about relationships that aren’t going anywhere and people who won’t make the same effort for you that they expect from you. It’s about investing your time and energy into something that has no chance of ever paying off. A reminder to stick with the people who love you and have your back, and to cast aside the time-wasters in favour of a nice drink. It recognises the lingering impact of early connections with the line “high school foolishness affects you when you’re older”, but reminds you that you’re not alone.
There is a real feeling of solidarity about the song. You can feel a bond forming with the band over the shared experience of frustration and the hard lessons you learned from the naive decisions you made in your youth. The joy of the racing musicality invites you to laugh about those embarrassing moments from before you knew better, knowing that you make better choices now.
A perfect, post-punk ode to prioritising your own self worth, having fun with with your pals (over a nice pint) and moving on with your life. Watch the wonderfully chaotic new video here:
Kirstie Summers
@ActuallyKurt
Photo Credit: Sinead Ferguson
Get In Her Ears 
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