There is a suitable sense of restlessness found in Barking Poets’ latest single, just the right amount of boredom and desire for something more, a drive for excitement and change that means when they propose stealing a car and heading off across “Arizona”, they might just do it. Even if they admit that they don’t really know where Arizona is and that having South London as your starting point for such a road trip might be a bit of a hindrance.
But it is the spirit that counts, and this is full of it, full of pop-punk power and power-pop poise, full of energy and euphoria. It is a rabble-rousing anthem built on crunching guitars, depth-charge bass, fist-in-the-air vocals, and driving drums.
This is pop-punk, for sure, but far removed from the usual sound of frat-boy humor and cliched riffs. This is punk poetry. This is the real deal. This is big AND clever. The sort of thing that bands like The Gaslight Anthem did so well – all escapism and nostalgia for a future that hasn’t arrived yet, and musically, it is much more eloquent and indeed elegant than it might appear on just the first spin.
Play it again, and you will marvel at the intricacies of the guitar work sitting behind the main rhythmic attack. Play it a third time, and you will appreciate the vocal tones and sonic textures being woven through; play it once more, and…actually, just keep playing it. It will be the best thing you have heard this week. This month. This year?
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