Today, we debut Blue Amber‘s latest single, ‘The Great British Sitcom’. It features guest vocalist Kate Willets and is written by Joe Rackza and the band’s vocalist, Drew Noel. The song provides sharp commentary on the current political and cultural climate while incorporating references to their individual childhood memories.
Its visceral, poetic lyricism and spindling acoustic guitars open up into an experimental rock landscape tracing somewhere between the bitter wistfulness of Arab Strap and the withering social commentary of Black Box Recorder. ‘The Great British Sitcom‘ is a double hander shot through with disquiet at gaslighting politicians, dead-end towns, the left-behind generation and deep inequalities.
Drew Noel: “This track was conceived by myself and Joe Rackza on a coach journey back from Green Man festival in 2015. I think it was a way for us to vent our frustrations about the current political and social climate, as well as featuring memories of our respective childhoods and choice cultural references. It was an opportunity for me to make lyrical jabs at the Conservative MP from my hometown, and vent my petty complaints about people I saw online. So we traded lyrics over email for a few months, eventually building this song, which also features my friend Kate Willetts on vocals. It only seemed fitting to write a layered instrumental that lets the vocals take the spotlight while echoing their intensity. Spoken Word Indie Folk had a strong influence on this, as well as the Jonny Greenwood track ‘Spooks’ from Inherent Vice.”
Following their latest single ‘University Jesus’ in March, which explored a multi-dimensional soundscape of alternating time signatures and moods, Cardiff trio Blue Amber keep the ball rolling with a new release, ‘The Great British Sitcom’ featuring guest vocalist, Kate Willetts will be released on the 22nd of April.
Composed of a rotating ensemble of like-minded friends and musicians from all around the UK, Blue Amber create sonically diverse music that captures the experiences of young adults in a post-Brexit Britain.
When speaking about the new single, Noel said “I think it was a way for us to vent our frustrations… It was an opportunity for me to make lyrical jabs at the Conservative MP from my hometown, and vent my petty complaints about people I saw online.”
