Upon hearing the words “post-punk”, nowadays one may think of the harsh, abrasive music coming out of the Brixton Windmill and other London settings. However, the north of England has always had a rich tradition in the alternative scene, and is arguably its spiritual home. Northern groups like The Fall, Gang Of Four, and Joy Division pioneered the genre, and today the region is also seeing a post-punk resurgence with Yard Act, The Lounge Society, and The Blinders leading the charge.
Joining the ranks of this charge are LUMER, a Hull-based four-piece who are launching a post-pandemic comeback of their own following a critically acclaimed debut EP in 2019. Returning in 2022, the band have released ‘English Dream’, the second of two singles this year. A dark and grimy cut, ‘English Dream’ espouses singer Alex Evans’ disillusionment with his country, forming an apt soundtrack to the cost-of-living-crisis winter Great Britain is launching headlong into.
The track immediately grips you by the throat and demands your attention. A looming, ominous bassline from Ben Morrod and primal drums from William Evans form the backbone of the track, calling listeners to stand up straight and listen to every word of Alex Evans’ polemic. Ben Jackson’s fantastic work on guitar really adds to the fed-up, apathetic atmosphere of the verses, with jagged chord stabs and lecherous melodies intertwined with the pounding rhythm section.
Evans’ lyrics across the track begin in this apathy before transforming into a feeling of desperation for the government to help those in need. His repeated calls of “I don’t want nothing from you” gradually shift into “They just want something from me”, through “I’m tired of nothing from them”, then finally into “I just want something from them”, deftly painting the process of political awakening with straightforward yet effective lyricism.
The masterstroke of ‘English Dream’ is undoubtedly in its chorus. In direct contrast with the confrontational sleaze of the verse, the band coalesce into harmonious song with The Murder Capital-esque dovetailed guitar and bass lines and slow-moving vocal melodies. Combined with Evans’ lyrics – “In time I’d be hoping for a better life… / It devours me, swallowing me whole / Encompassing and embracing / The bitterness life brings” – a real feeling of hope-without-hope is established, a feeling of yearning for change but feeling helpless to bring it about, a real encapsulation of the greater British public’s psyche in this current political and economic climate.
As the final chorus is washed out in reverb and delay before snapping back to a clean reminder of “The bitterness life brings”, LUMER are woken from their ‘English Dream’ of compassionate change and must resume the monotony of life under an uncaring government. A fantastic offering from a band who like many had to put their musical career on hold due to the pandemic, ‘English Dream’ is a sign that LUMER will not be letting that stop them completely. Quite the opposite, actually.
Words by David Harrold
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