Our weekly fix of the best new music as Julia Mason (aka The Decibel Decoder) brings us her reviews of new music with singles from Martial Arts Triumph and Thank Woke Frasier
Artist: Martial Arts
Track: Triumph
Manchester's Martial Arts return with their third single Triumph. Following Defector and Warsaw. The new single is a commentary on the stifling, closeting effects of questionable conformity.
Triumph was born in the now shut down Factory Kitchen in South Manchester’s disappearing former-industrial heartland, working with producer Seadna McPhail. It's a dramatic track, highlighting the negativity of society's pressure. Self-deprecating yet with a theme that will resonate with many, the instrumentation provides urgent guitars and drums, at times pounding and thrashing, yet at times twitchy with anxiety fuelled sentiment.
Heading to the end of Triumph the track teeters on the brink of chaos, perhaps reflecting the impact of such pressures on us both physically and mentally.
Singer and lyricist Jim Marson shares the following: “Triumph is a rallying cry for anyone who feels stifled by societal pressures. It's an exploration of the tension between personal desires and the pressures of society. Societal norms can suffocate the younger generation, many of whom can feel out of place in a world that demands conformity. It questions the true cost of such conformity to our own potential and values.”
Martial Arts Live Dates
October
11 Manchester, Beyond The Music
November
8 Clitheroe, Stereo Press at The Grand
16 Manchester, Yes Pink Room
December
13 Porto, Portugal, Post Punk Strikes Back Festival
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Artist: Thank
Track: Woke Frasier
Thank release the final single from their upcoming second album, I Have A Physical Body That Can Be Harmed, out on November 8th via Big Scary Monsters. The latest is the sartorial Woke Frasier which delivers sharp, witty social commentary. The track reflects those who too eagerly label anything they disagree with as "woke."
The vocal delivery is still urgent and forthright but the instrumentation is parred back on this new track. There is still the myriad of influences blended together but here it's more cohesive as opposed to the chaos and mayhem of previous singles. The lyrics are firmly tongue-in-cheek but also hit the point they are trying to make precisely: "Bad news, your credit card details are now woke / and you should send them to me for safe disposal".
Apparently they have already evoked some polarising responses while road testing the track as vocalist Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe explains: "Woke Frasier is written from the perspective of a right wing grifter podcast host. When we played this in Bedford someone got mad at me because they thought it was about Joe Rogan, it isn't about Joe Rogan but also fuck Joe Rogan. Woke Simpsons was a close second choice for the name of this song, and it features our friend Robin Smith from Lo Egin on sax."
Thank have also brought in former collaborator, George Chadwick for the song's absurdist music video. Speaking on the video the band said: "You can think of this as a sort of sequel to the Torture Cube video, also by George Chadwick. The brief we gave him was to make something centred around right wing podcast grifters, with as many daft references to The Simpsons and Frasier as he felt like including. Also the entire narrative must take place inside a broken desktop computer. I think we can all agree that George has truly delivered this and more. Who can say whether or not Rodney Fipplecash will make further appearances within the Thank cinematic universe? Only time will tell."
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