LISTEN: BCOS RSNS – ‘Turn It Off’

The second single from their upcoming debut album, ‘Turn It Off‘ by BCOS RSNS turns the post-punk band’s attention to conspiracy theories and capitalism. The song uses scuzzy guitars and dry, deadpan wit to draw a profound parallel between the ridiculous and the real, highlighting how easy it is to begin investigating genuinely dangerous societal concerns and end up diverted into truly absurd territory by conspiracists profiting off your concern.

The early verses start off with obviously silly theories that no one really believes – that Neil Armstrong was an actor, but that the moon landing was shot on location. Then the song escalates down that all-too-slippery slope to ideas you hear parroted by otherwise sensible, intelligent people. It’s a pattern you’ll be familiar with if you paid attention to the number of smart people echoing life-threatening anti-vax logic during the height of the Covid pandemic, for example.

The chorus hammers home the crucial point at the core of the track perfectly. It starts with fairly good advice, beginning “turn off your tv”, up to “turn off your smart home” (do you really trust what privately owned energy companies are doing with your data? They’re raising prices and announcing record profits, so it really doesn’t feel all that much like they’re passing on the benefit of that information to the consumer…), and finally pivots to “turn off your kettle” and “pull down your blinds”, which (unless you have a smart kettle and blinds that channel data back to the 1%, which thankfully is yet part of a dystopian future I personally am very relieved to have not yet seen first-hand) is a foray into paranoia. But the steps that take you there aren’t that illogical. In a few relatively short (and honestly very catchy lines), the song demonstrates how easily someone could be persuaded to veer off course from sensible precautions to wild speculation.

‘Turn It Off’ culminates in the direct, straight-faced third verse, where the character is dropped and the mission statement presented clearly and unambiguously. In a song about the way mis-information snowballs into tangible harm, the directness here becomes all the more profound. The verse describes the song itself as a “distraction”, and they’re not wrong. Satisfying the frustration of life on a dying planet with the temporary catharsis of a fun song doesn’t make any difference to the situation. The track doesn’t hide how difficult it is to even envision how to turn back the death clock at this late stage of the game. The singer herself, Abi Brady, even says of the song’s thesis,  “I don’t have any answers to any of it. It’s frustrating.“

But art doesn’t need to have all the answers, and with this release BCOS RSNS process the trauma of existing as a single powerless individual under the tyranny of late stage capitalism through an upbeat and playfully intelligent song, and invite you to purge your shared frustrations with them.

The eponymous debut album from BCOS RSNS is set for release on 22nd May – pre-order here. Catch the band live celebrating its release at The Cavendish Arms on 25th May.

Kirstie Summers
@ActuallyKurt