Ida Maria sounds like the past tipsy beauty in the street, mascara smudged, cat calling fellas as they exit the bar. Bouncing from a drunken slur to surprisingly poetic moments of perfect clarity. It’s fierce, it’s feral, and it’s fucking glorious.
‘Dirty Money’ oozes with a Mick Jagger like swagger from the very first strum. It’s rock and roll that feels like home. Big guitars and even bigger voices.
Lyrically it holds nothing back, baring feral teeth at the industry and capitalism in general. It relies a little on cliche but who cares when it’s driven with such lived experience and power.
Ida Maria, Norway’s punk Viking, has been absent from the scene for a while. This song chronicles a major part of the story as to why. It’s about capitalism and a callous industry that sucks you dry and tosses you aside. We’ve heard it before, time and time again, and yet nothing changes.
As well as the positive message in the song itself Ida Maria has been the head of her local Green party, championing a brighter tomorrow for everyone.
It’s nice to hear that rock-‘n’-roll can still sound like a sleazy trip to the gutter, even when it’s actually promoting a much more positive message.
Words by Matt Miles
