Cheshire’s The Racket are back for round two with a fresh new musical venture that follows on from their first label-released single ‘Stripes and Lines’. Not typically the types to be seen without distinctively distorted grit, galloping rhythms and a lovable punkish sensibility that slots them into the same bracket as early Arctic Monkeys or The Kooks on a caffeine binge, this new track comes as a well received break from the breakneck speeds their music is quickly being noted for.
‘I Need More’ has a softness about it that feels almost exposing. For many bands of similar style and caliber, it’s not uncommon for the heart of the music to be left and lost in the dust, the speed a song’s makeup elements too jumped up and jostling to allow room for carefully scripted moments and musings. Here, though, supple melodies sit at the forefront of the soundscape, a playful plucky acoustic twang leading listeners by the hand and sitting them down at singer Callum’s feet. With no wall of sound to shout over, the powerful, working-class storytelling that the previous Racket songs contain is laid bare, no bells or whistles to cover its tracks. It’s one that has been span on many playlists since it’s release, and will no doubt continue to be a favourite of many as the band enter new avenues in post-lockdown.
Recorded at home, the stripped back single offers introspection. At its core it serves as an exploration of feelings towards the day-in-day-out monotony of working-class life, the lifestyle that offers little to people and much to profit. It’s a track that both in words and tone brings to light an image of an easygoing faux-slacker in a saggy jumper and stylish boots, an understater who understands his or her worth much more than the big shots in ivory towers do. To somebody swept away by the unspoken struggles of youth, in which one is expected to exercise themselves to exhaustion in the name of catching up with the world around them, this is an anthem – the bluesy voicings and roomy warmth of the recordings paint a cozy smokey scene in which inspirations Dylan and Fretwell are sharing a drink, laughing on the good old days, inviting you over to share their learned wisdoms.
‘I Need More’ is out now on ALLO Records, and can be found on all streaming platforms. A major UK tour is due this coming Autumn, dates TBA.
Listen/Watch ‘I Need More’ here:
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