If ever there was a pertinent message for our times, it is the one that we find at the heart of “No ID,” the new one from Reduction in Force. While the subject of ID and documentation is a hot topic in the Western world at the moment, and those more politicised ideas are indeed woven into the theme, this is more about the broader and more pervasive take on the concept.
Society seems to be obsessed with the idea that people can be described in simple terms – punk, liberal, straight, immigrant, nerd…whatever – as if one tag is sufficient to sum up the myriad factors than make us who we are, as if we are not all a beguiling mix of ideas and abilities, thoughts, and skills, – sometimes contradictory ones. “No ID” is a reminder that we are all beguiling mixes of opposites, strange juxtapositions, individuals made of many moving parts, personal quirks, and diverse tastes. We all have a different story; we all have arrived here from a different place, physical and otherwise. And we all have different destinations, again, both in terms of place and purpose.
As this alt-rock anthem plays out, embracing modern rock ‘n’ roll moves and darker post-punk influences, timeless indie addictions and heady new wave sonics, its message is clear: be yourself, and if that means thwarting expectations, standing out from the pack, and kicking comfort zones into touch… all the better!
Fashion is for fools. Conformity equals complacency. Following the pack leads to dead ends. Embrace your own weird, dance to the beat of your own drum, walk out of step with society. The world doesn’t move forward by repeating the same moves over and over again; the world evolves thanks to the outside-the-box thinkers, those whose boots are covered with the dust of the road less travelled, those who take the scenic route, those who do their own thing.
You don’t only owe it to yourself to be strange, complicated, odd, subversive, and groundbreaking….the world demands it of you. Just let that sink in for a minute!
