Image & artwork courtesy of the band.
Liverpool’s This is War are back with their new single ‘I Don’t Get It’. It follows their blistering ‘Pyramids’ and ode to Dylan ‘Exile Pet’.
This Is War have proven they can produce all sorts of tracks this year. It is though, in attack mode that they come alive. Launching into jagged riffs from The Jam and The Clash set the tone for what becomes a fine homage to 00s post-punk.
Vocally, Paul Carden brings the lo-fi power of The Strokes’ ‘Take It Or Leave’ to the fore before imparting great melody with his Rod-esque gravel in the closing stages.
The excitement of The Strokes’ ‘Is This It’ is never far away from this anthem but they don’t stop there. It joyfully explores many of the bands that The Strokes helped launch post-2001. The angular licks have the art school power of Franz Ferdinand and The Departure and the punk of The Rakes cult classic ‘Retreat’. This spirit combines with the ragged glory Kings of Leon debut as if they were played by the Jarman brothers circa ‘New Fellas’ and ‘Mens Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever’.
It’s a thrill ride to the credible bands that plugged the heartache of The Libertine’s demise in the mid-00s to lift the scene back to dizzy heights. Carden’s former band The Black Velvets were criminally overlooked during this period; thus, this song has a cathartic justice to pulsing through it for fans of him then and now.
Make no mistakes though, this is not rehashed nostalgia. This Is War have yet again recorded something vital that feels as live as it can possibly be in the studio.