WITH that crisp, declamatory and wiry, post-punk, post-Speedy Wunderground sound, sweeping songcraft and such judicious revival of the chorus pedal, last heard in such mistily evocative effect in early Killing Joke and The Cure circa Faith, it’s no wonder that Average Life Complaints’ “Fish & Chips” has been tearing it up on the airwaves, particularly over on Radio 6 Music with Lamacq; big things beckon. “They have that zeitgeist, deadpan sound that is spiky to the touch,” he’s said.
And with the EP of that name out now, the Brixton four-piece comprised of vocalist and guitarists Charlie Weight and Louis Bramwells, bassist Albert Dury and drummer George Greenhalgh (drums) have shared a new video for the tight dancefloor polemic of “Answers”. Have a butcher’s below.
They’e come a long way, baby in such a short time; the four-piece only formed in Brixton at the beginning of this year. They reportedly bonded over what singer Charlie defines as “a mutual hatred of and shared anxiety about the way modern society is heading and the way in which it functions”.
The EP aims and takes fire at that world, with tracks such as “Precious Pressures” exploring the sheer gall and nastiness of axing the £20 Universal Credit uplift.
Charlie explains: “It’s about the constant pressure inflicted onto the lower classes of our society by the government and how this constant struggle, in turn, benefits their agenda.”
Elsewhere “Wealth Gap”, which came out over the summer and which first called Steve Lamacq hither, ” … came together through boredom [at] the way society is heading.
“We see people aspiring to live and look like the reality TV stars and billionaires that flood social media. We seem to have gained an obsession for attention through technology which is, frankly, vile. The lyrics discuss the unrealistic standards of wealth and beauty across social media and how this affects both people’s mental health and society as a whole,” adds Charlie.
The EP was laid down in Charlie’s home studio once he was furloughed from job and offered communal and creative respite, he says.
“When we got together at the beginning of the year, the world was in somewhat dismal circumstances,” he says. “The pubs were closed, the weather was grim, but we could still meet up in our little rehearsal space.
“We would gather there each week and use the sessions as a social occasion as much as a rehearsal. We’d share music with each other and chat about everything going on socially and politically.
“We channelled all of our frustrations into the music and this EP was born.”
Average Life Complaints’ Fish & Chips EP is out digitally; pop yourself over to Bandcamp to secure one.
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