FRKST / 300 Entertainment – 20 August 2021
Rambunctious sonic assault splicing punk energy with pummeling synths from Blackpool’s Strange Bones.
England Screams is an appropriate titular choice for an album which seeks to make sense of and give voice to the tumultuous situation the country finds itself in. Such a record requires a sound that is simultaneously bellicose and reflective. As the first full length release from the Blackpool based Strange Bones, this is a record that splices the fired up social commentary of punk and grime with bludgeoning synths and frenetic beats. Front-man Bobby Bentham describes the album as an attempt to encapsulate the fractious relationship between chaos and order. Across the twelve tracks this impetus is largely realised through a rambunctious sonic assault that gives way to moments of slightly more subdued off kilter electronic quietude.
“Jungle” is the opening track and has a large commanding sound to it with the lead vocal drifting in and out of distorted basslines. There is also a nod to the Dizzee Rascal track “Sirens”, though given the surrounding instrumentation it seems likely that this could be referencing the Chase & Status remix, a song which you could imagine shaping the bands’ blend of rap and glitchy Drum and Bass and Dubstep influences. Title track “England Screams” continues in a similar vein, albeit with a slightly more melodic undercurrent as the chorus part is sung. The idea of a regressive state of mind and political reality is explored, ‘2021, take you back to the Ice Age.’
“Menace” is perhaps the song where the bile and synths coalesce in the most convincing demonstration of aggrieved ire. It features a guest appearance from Bob Vylan, who makes sense as collaborator. Much like Strange Bones, Vylan blends punk and rap to deliver an acerbic appraisal of contemporary society. There is a barely contained rage that comes through in the shouty vocals, which react against the sample of a well spoken voice extolling the virtues of a system of law and order. The track is a neat exposition of the simmering potential for violence that rumbles just under the surface of country deeply divided.
“Crime Pays” with its stretched out bleeping, almost garage beat in the quieter sections counterpoised by the heavy drone of the livelier ones demonstrates a good ear for intriguing dynamism in song structure. The song then rounds off with a pared back conclusion that feels like the inevitable calm after a thunderous onslaught. This technique is utilised across a few tracks, proving that the band are capable of of embodying a range of moods, even if the dominant approach does seem to be delivered at blistering full tempo.
England Screams is a high octane, vociferous howl of a record. If at times the pointed observation is subsumed beneath the battering ram of antagonistic sound this is only appropriate given the combustible topics explored. It is an angry, impassioned exploration of the state of England and those living within it today. Strange Bones are crafting a niche for themselves as adventurous commentators forging a sound that is carried by the incisive energy of its white-hot urgency.
