When we speak of identity in the arts, in the world of British rock music in particular, the very idea of personality is currently a very sparsely deployed one indeed. There was a time – maybe 30, 40 years ago, maybe longer – when punk rock bands and their frontmen were continually redefining the boundaries of popular culture whilst shielded in an impenetrable shroud of cool. From the likes of the Clash, the Damned and Sex Pistols, right through to the more renegade, mischievous likes of KLF and X-Ray Spex, there was a concept of a sense of recklessness in music which gloriously persisted.
But this is not the world that Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes are emerging from. Over the years the musical goalposts have been shifting irrevocably and inevitably, with the result being that the band stand out effortlessly in an endless landscape of relentlessly engineered pop acts and manufactured stadium rock. ‘Modern Ruin‘, their second LP, released next year on their own label in conjunction with Kobalt Label Services, is their striking response: a daring, boldly anthemic record which also happens to be Carter’s most infectious to date.
The second taste of the album comes in the form of a lyric video for the single ‘Lullaby‘. Crank it below.
This is Carter as the ultimate rebel icon, the outsider and fighter, the one who’s constantly breaking the mould and defying convention. It’s a specific path he’s charted ever since he first emerged from the UK underground punk scene with his first band Gallows, through to the poppier turns of Pure Love and finally the intense though melodic headrush of The Rattlesnakes.
‘Modern Ruin‘ was mixed by Catherine Marks (Foals/ Wolf Alice) and recorded by Thomas Mitchener, the band’s former touring bassist in his own Broadfields Studio.
A few months ago, the first single, ‘Snake Eyes‘ was released. Check that below if you missed it.
Lock in Friday 27th January for the release date. Of course the band will be in Australia this December for a tour in which tickets are wearing thin. Don’t leave it much longer to grab yours, or you may miss out. Dates and details below if you need reminding.
Pre-order on iTunes [Here] and get the two tracks released so far right away.
1. Bluebelle
2. Lullaby
3. Snake Eyes
4. Vampires
5. Wild Flowers
6. Acid Veins
7. God Is My Friend
8. Jackals
9. Thunder
10. Real Life
11. Modern Ruin
12. Neon Rust
FRANK CARTER AND THE RATTLESNAKES
DECEMBER
8th – The Reverence Hotel, Footscray [18+]
9th – The Reverence Hotel, Footscray [18+] SOLD OUT
10th – The Brightside, Brisbane [18+]
11th – Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt [Lic/AA]
—> Tickets available now.
—> For more information, visit [Here].
Frank Carter photo by Chris Moore.
