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THIS IS WAR - Lucifer’s Party
We review the latest single from Liverpool band THIS IS WAR.
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! – All Hail to the CEO
Liverpool’s THIS IS WAR! returned at the end of January with their latest single, ‘All Hail To CEO’.
Artwork courtesy of the band.
Liverpool’s THIS IS WAR! returned at the end of January with their latest single, ‘All Hail To CEO’. The single was recorded at Faktory Studios in Chester with The Verve’s Si Jones producing and Andy Fernihough mastering.
There are moments in some band's careers where a subtle tweak and change of tact change the game for them. The Libertines dropped their 60s flower-pop singles for an English garage-punk take on The Strokes and never looked back. On ‘All Hail The CEO’, it feels as though THIS IS WAR! Have approached a creative switch-up which will catapult them to greater things.
The band have stepped away from their archetypal rock-cum-punk classicism and introduced the post-punk dancefloor licks of Franz Ferdinand and Gang of Four to make them a serious floor-filler outfit.
The early garage riffs of Razorlight remain to carry their loyal following with them on their journey. However, this feels like a lift-off moment. They have a cut-through indie club dancefloor anthem to ram down the throats of any top 10 chart.
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