The boys from the sublime Arab Strap are back with a vengeance and the new track ‘Strawberry Moon’ is a thrilling anthemic ride. It’s the second missive from their forthcoming album, the amusingly titled ‘I’m totally fine with it 👍 don’t give a fuck anymore 👍’.
‘Strawberry Moon mixes a high voltage electronic thrum with a pulsing bass and popping percussion, adding spoken verses and a massive luxurious chorus. It’s absolutely marvelous with its enigmatic lyrics and pop sensibilities:
So throw on your cloak and come down and join me,
witness my struggles firsthand.
I’ll stay young and handsome, sleep forever in your light,
I’ll give you daughters, give you sons – we’ll form a band!
I’m just dressing for the weather, and the forecast is for pain.
The dark listens to the dark, night fosters night – my ripe, rose love keeps me sane.
Aidan Moffat says of the track:
Lyrically, it’s maybe the most personal song on the album. About a period when I wasn’t doing very well, both mentally and physically. I was walking with a cane and in pain most of the time, and drowning my sorrows too, trapped at home and watching the phases of the moon through a window. The moon always seems to pop up in my lyrics, and the song’s a sort of secular hymn in praise of her constant change. She’s always a comfort, always hopeful, and always makes me smile.
The song’s accompanying video, created with David Arthur – who worked with Moffat previously on the film “Where You’re Meant To Be” – features Malcolm Middleton and Moffat as werewolf and priest in a chase across the city of Glasgow, and is the first time the duo have fully appeared in a video together in almost 25 years. Moffat says
Aye, it’s been a while. So we thought we should go all out – costumes, make-up, special effects, acting, mobility scooter and all.
It’s a hugely amusing horror tale that matches the prowling nature of the track:
‘Strawberry Moon’ is out now and available to download and stream via all the usual places. ‘I’m totally fine with it 👍 don’t give a fuck anymore 👍’is out on 10 May through Rock Action Records.
Arab Strap will be touring this year – full details and tickets here.
Feature Photograph: Marilena Vlachopoulou
