With a ridiculously rapacious and bodacious bass riff sitting pretty at the top of the track, Average Life Complaints set to work checking the systemic snake of greed and hunger that coil around the throat of society choking out hope, creativity, and the promise of a brighter tomorrow.
It has this retro post-punk feel to it, with a passionate poetic strut to the visceral barbs of the lyricism. This is a band formed in the crucible of an unjust and broken social system and they are unafraid to point fingers. Punk as a genre is unapologetically working class with a great deal of socialist ideals and clearly Average Life Complaints continue to exist in that vein.
There is a build to the track that just keeps growing with this skin tingling dread that seeps in from the dark and gloomy energy of the song and its lyrics. The bass line plays a big part in this but the wailing guitars add to the mood beautifully. It’s a gruesome soundscape that requires a great deal of skill to craft.
When the song reaches its climax it is entirely earned, we go from the cool and detached delivery of the vocals to a more gut wrenching wail. The track is moody, atmospheric, and beautifully paced. It is a little maudlin, but it’s righteously furious with the status quo.
Average Life Complaints prove that their vitriol is far from average. Backed with an electricity in the music and a sharp wit behind the blade of the lyrics, this is an intelligent new band looking to shock the system and then twist the knife in.
Words by Matt Miles