A fuzzy no-frills riff emerges from a veil of feedback, marking the return of Frankie and the Witch Fingers. It has only been about a year since they released their seventh album Data Doom, but according to a statement on their Bandcamp, the band were inspired to return to the studio to “capture the chaotic energy of those unfiltered live moments.” This energy is abundant in ‘Bonehead’, which elevates stripped-back composition and production through gleeful performances. Every note is hit with force, every drum fill teeters playfully on the brink of disaster, and every squealing noodle of a solo feels spontaneous and carefree.
The track’s first half is built around a driving opening riff that stomps along with the distorted weight of guitar and bass. It underlines the urgency of the message delivered by Dylan Sizemore, bandleader and lead vocalist, who sings of modern life’s blend of parasitic power structures and mind-numbing subjugation. This is accentuated by sparing, eery synth work that creeps around the back of the mix, like a puppet master watching from the shadows.
As tension builds, the track bursts into an audacious-sounding chorus contrasted by bleak imagery of bodies piling beneath the elite. Here Sizemore makes his ultimate demand of the listener; “I want you out of your mind/let go.” Once the call to “let go” is repeated a second time, ‘Bonehead’ erupts into its next half. The confident groove is replaced by a noisy double-time jam that refuses to relent until the track ends. Here, the live energy can be most keenly felt, and you can easily imagine a mosh pit exploding in a frenzy of cathartic bliss as the band assaults the listener with frantic chugging and freewheeling jamming.
Frankie and the Witch Fingers set the example of freeing oneself by breaking apart the structure of their own song, choosing instead to live in chaos. The last chord is left to ring out, ending the song as it began in a world of distortion and feedback, except now this is a symbol of individual control, of finding the wonder in imperfection and deviance. While no new album has been announced just yet, ‘Bonehead’ teases the invigorated attitude of Frankie and the Witch Fingers towards their own weirdness.
Words by Cameron Gibbs
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