The Jacques have slowly been gaining momentum through the release of their EPs Pretty DJ and The Artful Dodger, the latter of which contains the jumping track ‘This Is England’. It’s another rough, guitar-driven song that, with Fin O’Brien’s drawling and strongly accented vocals, also gives off a strong early-Libertines vibe.
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Given its upbeat tempo, the very title, plus a music video showing off various locations from their hometown of Bristol, ‘This Is England’ could very well be mistaken as a celebratory song of the band’s home nation. However, once the cheeky lyrics kick in so too do their Britpop influences as they happily rip on all that’s wrong with the good old UK. From vehemently calling out the double standards in the media (“TV and the magazines / Said I can’t call you a washed up cunt / But I can sing all about bitches and whores / Now tell me what’s that for”?) to riffing on the ’80s culture of “mods” and “skins”, it’s a theme that culminates in the danceable chorus as O’Brien proclaims the titular words and asks the listener to “tell me what you’re proud of?”.
The Artful Dodger is available to buy now on iTunes. For more music by The Jacques you can follow them on Soundcloud.
Words by Samantha King