ALBUM: Thunder On The Left – ‘National Insecurity’

Political music may be making a comeback, after all. After the minimalist street-poetry of Sleaford Mods, and the funk-goth-jazz of Nadine Shah, comes the alt.rock/metal styles of Thunder On The Left. Based in East London, the trio of Arun (drums), Adam (bass) and Carla (guitar/vocals) keep their message as simple, and their sound as raw, as their name (inspired by Christopher Morley’s novel of dissatisfaction) would suggest.

Opener ‘Everybody Is Not Me’ is a statement of intent. A loud-quiet-loud squall of guitars, underneath Carla’s emphatic repetition, a conscious nod to Rage Against The Machine’s hip-hop metal lyrical style. Second track ‘Cliché’, with its feel of a messed-up military march and loud-hailer vocals, sounds like the product of pent-up rage, but still presents a self-aware comment on the nature popular music.  

‘Survivor’ is a bouncier number, kicking off like early noughties pop-punk. ‘Rather Be Dead Than Fake’ begins as another RATM-homage, but across the course of its four and a half minutes morphs into something more personal, with Carla’s vocals dominating and the song’s refrain sounding more and more like the band’s motto.

‘Interlude’ and ‘Vaporise The Bitch’ are two sides of the same coin: starting with near-gentle, emotionally calm lilts before bringing in the distorted bass, whilst ‘A Polite Fuck Off’ is a hair-metal thrash that moves into riff-heavy territory, with Carla’s voice coming off as both salty and sweet.

The album’s title track is the album’s standout: a robotic, hypnotic vocal, lamenting the ubiquity of “drones, clones, phones”, with a stormy rhythm section and the warning-wail of squealing guitar, as ‘Sign My Name’ is a doom-laden comment on our complacent relationship with capitalism.  Closer ‘Simply Eaten’, however, is the band’s epic take on religion and society – the title referring to the inescapable, all-consuming nature of materialist culture.

Recorded live in Wales across nine days, National Insecurity is an album that doesn’t pull any of its punches. With a sound as raucous as this, it’s no wonder the band have been developing a following for their live dates. And, with their staunch, revolutionary beliefs at odds to political orthodoxy in the US and UK, Thunder On The Left have picked the perfect storm to arrive in.

National Insecurity is out 9th February via Malevolent Records. Catch Thunder On The Left live this month:

12th February: Bristol, Rough Trade
13th February: Nottingham, Rough Trade
14th February: Sheffield, West Street Life
15th February: London, Rough Trade East (Album launch)
16th February: Oxford, The Wheatsheaf
20th February: Canterbury, Lady Luck Bar
22nd February: Leeds, Verve Bar

John McGovern
@etinsuburbiaego

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Track Of The Day: Soccer Mommy – ‘Cool’

A dreamy guitar tune that questions what it means to be popular, Nashville’s Soccer Mommy (aka Sophie Allison) has shared her latest single ‘Cool’. The track is taken from her upcoming album Clean, which is set for release via Fat Possum Records on 2nd March.

“’Cool’ focuses on this other person who’s desirable and it shows how sometimes you can romanticize the idea of being different than you are,” Allison explains. “It comes from a place of insecurity and idealization, which is a feeling that hangs over a lot of the album.” Soccer Mommy has a knack for writing about anxiety and “soft anger,” exploring frustration and insecurity through her laid-back vocals and melodic guitar.

Following a series of DIY Bandcamp releases and last year’s Collection, Clean is Allison’s journey out of her bedroom and into the studio with a full band. The new album has been produced by Gabe Wax (War On Drugs, Deerhunter, Beirut) and mixed by Ali Chant (Perfume Genius, PJ Harvey), so we’re sure it’s going to be an intricate, sharply executed piece of work. Soccer Mommy will be playing a UK tour in March, taking her to venues in Leeds, Manchester, London and finishing up in Brighton. Get your tickets here.

Listen to ‘Cool’ below.

Pre-order your copy of Soccer Mommy’s Clean here.

Follow her on Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Belako – ‘Lungs’

Spanish indie rockers Belako effortlessly combine slick riffs, pounding drums and lush vocals on their latest single ‘Lungs’, providing a musical breath of fresh air. The track is taken from their upcoming album Render Me Numb, Trivial Violence, which is set for release on 23rd February via Primavera Sound’s in-house label El Segell.

The Basque country-based four piece have said their new record is going to be a “head twisting mix of punk, techno, indie, folk & electro,” and they’re expected to embark on a tour shortly after the album’s release, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled for future Belako gig dates.

Listen to ‘Lungs’ below and follow the band on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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EP: EMA – ‘Outtakes from Exile’

Sitting comfortably in what she calls “The Outer Ring” of society – the zone between the country and the city, both literally and figuratively – EMA’s dark electronic sounds ooze with an unease and intensity inspired by “material that speaks truth to power.” Rather than agonise, Erika M. Anderson (aka EMA) organises synths and vocals to express her resistance against poverty and inequality, and her recent EP Outtakes From Exile is another impressive example of these determined efforts.

Lead single ‘Dark Shadows’ ia a blend of hazy vocals, sharply produced beats and opulent electronics, inspired by the film 20th Century Women. Anderson says she was inspired by the premise – “badass women living in 1970s Santa Barbara getting into punk” – and ‘Dark Shadows’ emerged as “a survivor song”, detailing someone who’s “leaving a dark past behind, emerging again into the world”. It’s a world in which second track ‘MopTops (Twist While The World Stops)’ plays out confidently, with EMA’s hushed, croaky vocals sitting atop steady synths that loop for three and a half minutes.

‘I Don’t Treat Anything Good’ is similar in its understated style and tempo, but it culminates in EMA’s plea-like vocals to be saved from this casual apathy. The emotional exposure on penultimate track ‘From The Love That We Made’ will have listeners caught up in a sultry, synth-heavy haze before an unexpected switch from electronics to acoustic guitars mid-way through the song clears the figurative smoke screen.

It’s the defiant power of closing track ‘Breathalyzer Instrumental’ however, that truly displays EMA’s ominous, shadowy skills. It’s twenty minutes of intriguing noise which broods somewhere between intense awareness and a need to be aurally anesthetised. Whilst her vocals on previous tracks are quietly hypnotic, the lack of them here is not to be lamented. Ten minutes in, her almost inaudible whisperings appear over persistent synths, offering a brief distraction from this epic, intoxicating sonic assault.

Make sure you set aside the time to explore EMA’s intriguing soundscapes on Outtakes From Exile – you won’t be disappointed.

EMA’s Outtakes From Exile (released via City Slang) is available to stream/download now.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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