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Gang of Youths – Atlas Drowned (Single Review)

Coming from their Sophomore record, the Sydney originated band, Gang of Youths have released their second single for Go Farther in Lightness, Atlas Drowned. The song is a bold and quite aggressive political commentary on front man Dave Le’aupepe’s views on a negative global societal conservation of humanity. Le’aupepe releasing a statement on social media about the background and meanings behind his writing for the tack…

“the central tenets of “objectivism”, as espoused in the loathsome, inept, lumbering, clunky, boring monstrosity that is Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged (1957) are contingent on a system she determines to be a form of objective “rational self-interest”. this has, for some reason set the ideological tone for so many wanton, neo-con, boot-licker crybabies for so long, the book itself has become victim of its own reflexive, parodic intellectual posturing. objective? refutable. rational? i don’t for a moment believe that self interest is in any way, rational. it is (to paraphrase david hume), contingent on the passions. it is counter-humanity, truly and deeply antithetical to becoming über. it’s a shame so many of the adherents to this pathetic system seem to conflate nietzsche’s doctrine of the übermensch (every individual can and should become über) with the idiocy of rand’s (some people are just better than others).

Humanity’s progress and advancement cannot be attributed to the pissing, moaning and wrenching of a handful of privileged industrialists alone. our great societies were built on the backs of the worker, the “prole”, the individuals that make up collective often labouring under the obscene, unrestrained tyranny of the few. this is not some radical new idea acting as a harbinger of some doomed anarchic futurescape — i believe that this has underlined the history of every great civilisation.

We are now converging upon a moment in history seen before countless times, wherein this philosophy of rational self-interest is conflated with nationalism, badly taped together like homer simpson’s football tax return.

Reluctantly, i’ll admit that at the very ideological heart of conservatism there is a noble tradition. 

What we are seeing now globally, en masse is a desecration of this nobility.

Enough of this shit.”

This is the first time we’ve really heard a political centric song from Gang of Youths and Le’aupepe doesn’t hold back any punches with his lyrics, taking aim at governments and the people blindly that follow them. Le’aupepe confirms to all of us from the start that there is no way he will give in or be fooled into a society that tells him not only how he should act and behave but one that tells him what he should strive for. Le’aupepe really delivers his anger and blunt feelings towards a “rigged” “institution”, taking aim at the Australian government with lyrics such as “I traded a country and I’m glad ‘cause my country’s disgraced”, a lyric that derives from the band’s keyboard/guitar player, Jung Kim’s, inability to get his visa renewed due to our government deciding he didn’t have a good enough reason to live here any more, resulting in the band’s move to London. As well as the lyric “I will love you but love not the power you serve” meaning he will still love to the people of the world but he aims this at the many governments who rule. Though a lot of the writing here finds itself directed at the people who are “sheep” to Le’aupepe’s societal view, telling people they can either “can shake…cry…quake…run in your sleep…shrug…weep” and all you’ll be able to do is “watch as you bleed” from a controlling hierarchy, or they can rise up and raze “Atlas”. Le’aupepe’s use of the word Atlas is almost a triple entendre, being a reference to Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, it’s also a way of personifying this idea of the current society as Atlas, in Greek Mythology, is the Titan that holds up the Earth. With this Le’aupepe delivers some great imagery with his writing, drowning, burning and toppling Atlas so we can all watch as Atlas “bleeds”, “laugh as he shakes” and then “spit on his grave” as we all become the victors against forced idiosyncrasies.

As for the instrumentation and vocals: Le’aupepe’s singing is passionate all over, whether his tone ranges from disappointed to angry, he truly conveys his message with his vocals. The song starts out with some great grunge rhythm guitar accompanied by a nice drum pattern that continues throughout the majority of the song. The lead guitar comes in ever so smoothly and working incredibly well in tandem with the rest of the instrumentation, also serving as a great way in bringing back the song back down after an extravagant chorus. The chorus having some of the best moments of the song, as an incredibly strong bass line plays throughout out, accompanied with a nice lead guitar, to really build up to the end where we get one Gang of Youths’ self-proclaimed “catastrofucks”. And at the final chorus Le’aupepe holds nothing back, delivering an intensely beautiful performance, that never wavers, to finish off the song.

After the first single, What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out?, Gang of Youths have delivered another strong track that is sure to get fans amped up for the next album. Their next single The Deepest Sighs, The Frankest Shadows is out May 26th and Go Farther in Lightness is out August 18th.

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