Returning to the world of music after an extended period of time can go one of two ways for a band: an initial period of hype with their first releases that fades over time, or they go from strength to strength, consolidating their comeback with each track dropped. With their third single ahead of the release of album Gigi’s Recovery, Irish post-punks The Murder Capital have certainly solidified their status in the latter category with their best tune yet: the emotional and entrancing ‘Ethel’.
While ‘A Thousand Lives’ saw the band tread less familiar synth-based ground, ‘Ethel’ returns to the optimistic, guitar-driven sound of lead single ‘Only Good Things’. Ever the band fascinated with texture and rhythm, the entire four-and-a-half minute track is built on a unwavering chord progression that swells and bursts with feeling in tandem with vocalist James McGovern’s lyrics.
There is immediately a sense of importance attached to the sound of ‘Ethel’, as if it were soundtracking the climax of a coming-of-age film. Indeed, the band proclaim this track as a ‘cornerstone’ in the story of their album, and given its position in the tracklist preceding the love-song singles that have gone before, the latter could well be true in the movie of Gigi’s Recovery.
McGovern makes no attempt to dissuade this theory in his lyrics. Describing what seems like a first meeting at a bar during a period of hard times for him, the singer paints the scene: “Flirting with me like / Well you’re, you’re full of flavour and you’re winning best dressed tonight / Where are your friends now?” – a typically poetic turn of phrase for The Murder Capital.
The track’s climax is perfectly crafted, as McGovern wails “You better get it right / One chance at this life” before the band dial it up to eleven for the final moments. Repeating the refrain “I always wanted it to be like this for us / Having our first kid / Name her Ethel” as drums crash amongst monolithic bass and guitar, the song reaches a transcendent peak that really evokes the transformative power of love and its ability to lift someone from the depths of despair – a message only strengthened by the wedding-like church bells that bookend the song.
Similarly to the brooding and rumbling tune, the accompanying music video is a slow-build epic in miniature that deepens the pathos felt with listening alone. Following the interaction between a family and their maid, the Maxim Kelly-directed cut is laden with close-ups, placing at the forefront the emotion felt by each character. A brief cameo by the band precedes the highlight – the dance sequence of the maid, choreographed by Arran Green and soundtracked by the tune’s climax, is deeply affecting and is truly the perfect marriage of audio and vision.
The Murder Capital are a band that strive towards the creation of great art, whether it be through their recorded music, live shows, release artwork, or music videos. The package of ‘Ethel’ is their finest production to date, with their most heartfelt lyrics, powerful music, and artful visuals yet. If this is anything to go by, Gigi’s Recovery could very well be topping 2023 album of the year charts as early as its January release.
Words by David Harrold
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