The last time I caught up with Barking Poets (which is an excellent pun, by the way, but one that might only land properly on their own side of the Atlantic, and perhaps not even outside of their London base), they were contemplating stealing a car and driving off into the “Arizona” sunset. Not hire or borrow, you understand, steal!
Well, this time out, their dreams of escape have turned to more domestic concerns, namely the trail of destruction they can’t help making as they navigate the mundane and monotonous cycle of the rat race. We can all relate. It’s healthy to rant. Better out than in, as they say.
And they have ramped up the sound too, moving from the punk-infused power-pop of their previous sonic adventure to a heavier, almost alt-rock sound replete with staccato riffs and gnarly walls of guitar noise. But what sets them apart from the average gang of low-slung guitar slingers is that even though they deal with heavier sonic salvos here, they never lose sight of the power-pop accessibility that has always made their music so infectious.
Bass guitar is as much part of the melody as the guitar lines that shape the song’s front end, and the drums, when required, set up a relentless pace and drive the song to its logical conclusion. But this isn’t just an undignified race for the finish line; a great on/off, fast/slow dynamic keeps things much more interesting than that.
They may have made a mess in some areas of life, but when it comes to songwriting, this is a blend of punk, pop, and rock and roll perfection.
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