Man, I love this… for so many reasons. Not only does the brilliantly named “teenage scum” echo a sort of proto-punk belligerence – like Lou Read’s commentary on the world or Iggy’s desire to burn it down – but it reminds us that not only does nothing much change for the young of the modern era but that things seem even tougher for them.
Running on raw guitars and aggressive energy, whip-crack beats, and world-weary vocals, it isn’t hard to find the roots of this sound in that slightly pre-punk era of the early seventies, before the scene became about fashion statements and posing, and posturing —a time that felt truly experimental, forward-thinking, and about real change, both sonically and socially.
But if the music echoes a specific time, the message is universally familiar. As the wonderfully self-deprecating title suggests, this is a song about the underclass, those not born with a silver spoon anywhere near them, let alone in their mouth, the young man and woman in the street. And, if it speaks to how tough it is to get started in the world, it also reminds us that it is becoming even harder as the years pass. Whereas the original punks and hip-hoppers, rock and rollers and indie-kids largely found a way to pay off the mortgage, have a nice car, and revel in enough dispossable income to have a holiday each year, today’s equivalent is still living in their parent’s basement, earning minimum wage and wondering how they break out of this trap, a trap let’s not forget, not of their own making.
A raw and rabble-rousing song, a timely and yet timeless message. Brilliant.
Facebook
Spotify
Soundcloud
Bandcamp
