Launching into the release schedule for their much-awaited sophomore effort, The Murder Capital share the second offering ‘A Thousand Lives’. If lead single ‘Only Good Things’ saw the band explore a lighter side to their established sound, this track throws a complete curveball, whipping up a frenzy of interest to surround the accompanying reveal of its parent album, Gigi’s Recovery.
Utilising new instrumentation and techniques to form a whole new sound for the Irish five-piece, ‘A Thousand Lives’ pulls at the heartstrings with passionate lyrics floating on an ever ebbing-and-flowing accompaniment.
Influences outside of the usual post-punk world that The Murder Capital inhabit can be heard from the very first seconds of the track. Breakbeat drums from Diarmuid Brennan and swelling synth organ chords from usually-guitarist Cathal Roper evoke the sounds of Aphex Twin and Kid A-era Radiohead rather that those of their Irish contemporaries such as Fontaines D.C. and Gilla Band. James McGovern’s deep and rich vocals enter front and centre of the mix, sounding like an instrument in and of itself – painting lyrically with phrases such as “A thousand visions run the rivers of our mind’s eye” on top of the subdued yet textured musical canvas, McGovern and The Murder Capital immediately invite you to submerge yourself in their renewed soundworld.
Bookended by songs titled ‘Existence’ and ‘Exist’, a narrative to Gigi’s Recovery can already begin to be uncovered from only the tracklist. Having said that, it makes perfect sense for ‘A Thousand Lives’ to be the track to announce the album’s release with – the returning refrain “I’d like to remind you of this / Beside you I die to exist” poignantly points towards this theme of existence, while exposing McGovern’s joy in vulnerability within his relationship. With grungy half-chordal, half-melodic guitar lines from Damien Tuit and unusually sparing-yet-effective bass from Gabriel Paschal Blake draped around this chorus, the full band revel in forming these new textures and heightening the emotion of the text.
The group’s fondness for an impassioned climax remains even within this unfamiliar sonic territory. Just as quickly as the full band had entered, it strips itself back to just the keyboard and McGovern before Roper picks up his guitar to trade swirling lines with Tuit in an ever building crescendo. McGovern delivers a final two spoken-word lines, in a matter-of-fact declaration of love that the listener is allowed to ruminate on for the remaining 80 seconds of the track: “With crystals forming on your cheeks, my love / A thousand lives with you and I won’t be enough”. A sharp roll on snare from Brennan breaks the tension and allows this passion to spill over into a grandiose finale, before the swirling guitar lines return and fade the track into the nothingness it swelled in from.
With its unique structure and novel soundscape for The Murder Capital, ‘A Thousand Lives’ is a song that feels like it finishes far too soon. But perhaps that is the point – the lyrics describing how each moment with a loved one is fleeting and over too quickly mirrored by the track. ‘A Thousand Lives’ may not be enough for us and this tune – with the confirmation that the album is on the way however, there’ll be plenty more for fans to sink into soon.
Words by David Harrold
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.