THIS IS WAR - Lucifer’s Party

Liverpool’s THIS IS WAR returned at the end of January with two new tracks, ‘Lucifier’s Party’ and ‘Talkin Blues’ featuring Sterlin.

‘Lucifer’s Party’ comes rip-roaring 2025 with their archetypal sound in full flow. The relentlessness of The Jam is injected with the muscular riffage of Pete Townsend.

There are few finer things in this world than seeing frontman Paul Carden attack a vocal like this. Aggressive yet soulful, his cadence distils a purity that allows you to make sense of our times.

Lyrically, he doubles down on this spirit as he attacks the casualness with which the world has lurched to dictators, fascists and oligarchs. The disbelief they conjure at a world of Trump, Putin apologists, and Reform on the march is the righteous angst-ridden tonic we’ve all been unable to wrench from despairing souls.

Countering this is ‘Talkin Blues’, featuring Midland’s artist Sterlin, a self-described electro-punk-rap performer. Sterlin’s introduction to THIS IS WAR is a match made in heaven—his wry and inciteful polemic fizzes with excitement around the NYC-enthused basslines. Jonny Roberts’ guitars fire like an early Bloc Party or Rapture single. Destined for sticky dancefloors in underground sweat-filled indie clubs, ‘Talkin Blues’ broods with the erstwhile menace of The Streets and the understated volatility of a Jagz Kooner remix. Long may this collaboration continue!

THIS IS WAR - Laces

Liverpool’s prolific THIS IS WAR are back with their new single ‘Laces’.

In 2022, the band set out to release a single a month. There were moments to enjoy in them all but they peaked when the urgency and danger levels stepped up on ‘Exile Poet’, ‘Pyramids’ and ‘Crossfire Fever’.

Artwork courtesy of the band.

When their EP ‘Rotten’ dropped this year the expectation of distorted bluesy-cum-post punk anthems grew. To an extent, on ‘Rotten’ and ‘Waves Of Love’ this febrile need was met. However, both had a brevity that wasn’t present previously. Then, on ‘Promised Land’, they stripped back the aggression to show a lighter, but no less meaningful side of their arsenal.

Allowing space for their talents to percolate has continued on ‘Laces’. Frontman Paul Carden’s reflective lyrics stomp toward unknown pastures, searching for meaning. It allows the guitars to jangle with the chaotic hope of early Razorlight the romanticism for youth of Pete Townsend.

Despite the sonic breathing space, masterfully, the urgency of 2022 is back. There’s a vitality to every aspect of this record that demands teenage obsession!