#Fear Fear

[madame-mongoose]

Idk when you posted that my brain pictured you lookin up at Wheatley while saying this. Anyways I might try to kill you later. Bye.

AKDHAJHDJS THIS IS SO CUTE- wait what 🧍

#WYM TRY TO KILL ME #HEY HEY #GET BACK HERE #fear fear #adorable wheatley tho holy shit #i love him #monnie answers

[thieving-magpiexhunting-tiger]

John O'Reilly -Just the song of Seb’s life

#i've been thinking this for years #but afraid to say anything #FEAR #FEAR FEAR #update: this has been in my drafts for months and i'm just going to post it

[reckonslepoisson]

Fear Fear, Working Men’s Club (2022)

As if a teenage MES were caught blaring over the beats of a club (but as if he would); Sydney Minsky-Sargeant is much, much less poetic than his hero but certainly no less bitter or spiteful. Fear Fear is quite pretty, rather rough and still shows Working Men’s Club has the potential to create something very special – even if this isn’t quite there yet, the best is surely yet to come.

Pick: ‘Widow’

#fear fear #working men's club #pop #synthpop #new wave #electronic #new rave #EBM #coldwave #minimal synth #2022 #music #review #music review

[newmusickarl]

Album & EP Recommendations

Fear Fear by Working Men’s Club

“Trapped inside a town, inside my mind” - the self-titled debut from Yorkshire outfit Working Men’s Club will forever remind me of the strangest of times.

When the album was released in late 2020, the world was still tightly locked into some fairly strict COVID restrictions. Here in the UK, although things had opened up somewhat, live music was still a way off returning. This meant any band promoting a new record had to think outside the box for their album launch shows. For example, I went along to the launch event for Working Men’s Club’s first album here in Nottingham and reflecting on it now just seems so strange.

Firstly, the band couldn’t perform live, so basically a projector in the bar played a video of them performing instead. Even though the band themselves were in attendance at the venue! Then everyone in the crowd was sat down at socially distanced tables and once the video performance had finished, frontman Syd Minsky-Sargeant begun to play a DJ set. However, before he had even gotten into the swing, everyone was ushered out of the bar because of the 10pm curfew. A fun but quite bizarre night and obviously not the ideal launch conditions for a new band just starting out!

However, despite the restrictive nature of the release, Working Men’s Club came through and their debut was a decent commercial and critical success. Placing 13th in my final Albums of 2020 list, it was also my highest rated debut of that year. Now just two years on, Working Men’s Club get what feels like a second shot at making a first impression, with this their excellent sophomore album - Fear Fear. Not completely rid of the association with the pandemic, Fear Fear arrives packed with songs troubled by loss, panic, isolation and trepidation. However just like their debut, the album’s dark underbelly is glossily sheened over thanks to the neon-soaked drench of pulsating, nostalgia-laced electronica.

Opener 19 is an early highlight, featuring a glitchy instrumental rumble of ominous synths, that slowly build before morphing halfway through into what could easily be mistaken for a dark and gloomy New Order track. After that, the album’s title track interrupts with a cacophonous drone of acid-soaked and quite alarming electronic shakes. As the Caribbean-style drums kick-in, suddenly the track becomes a swirling vortex of buzzy, vibrant sounds. It's one of the album’s more experimental tracks and may put some people off early doors, however addictive lead single Widow then arrives to pull everyone back onside. With a mesmerising central synth groove, Working Men’s Club continue to channel New Order and the spirit of a 90s Madchester rave to maximum effect.

Another single Ploys then keeps the momentum going with some very welcome early Hot Chip energy before the 80s-tinged, mini-epic Cut takes the listener on a mind-melting sonic adventure. After the trippy clanks of Rapture, recent single Circumference then serves up a colourful rainfall of glowing synths - a must-listen for any Nation of Language fans. The album then finishes strongly thanks to the playful funk bounce of Heart Attack, the jittering robo-dance of Money Is Mine and the climatic, whirring finale of aptly titled track, The Last One.

Working Men’s Club may have set a high standard with their debut, but it’s great to hear them continue to ride their wave of momentum on this very solid second outing. With a dark, moody aura, lots of fun sonic exploration and plenty of replay ability, you’ll struggle to have a bad time listening to this one.

Listen here

Hellfire by Black Midi

Elsewhere this week, experimental rockers Black Midi are back at their batshit best with their third album - Hellfire.

Whilst I wasn’t completely taken with their debut Schlagenheim, last year’s sophomore outing Cavalcade did win me over with its frequently fascinating and erratic sonic leaps between jazz, math, prog and art-rock. Hellfire pretty much picks up where that album left off, but with the big difference being that Midi finally start to knit things together to bring some semblance of cohesiveness to their auditory madness. Coming from the opposite end of the spectrum to The Weeknd’s Dawn FM, a polished pop record about the beauty of the afterlife, Hellfire feels almost like its bleak, demented cousin. Also featuring radio transmission interludes, it’s a brutal rock opera focussing in on the horrors of war and humanity.

Its hard to pick out certain tracks as highlights, as this really is a record that demands to be listened as a whole body of work – the bonkers rollercoaster from beginning to end being the real highlight. However, I did see this week second track Sugar/Tzu described as “the soundtrack to a James Bond chase scene, if James Bond was played by a cartoon mouse” which I thought was too perfect a description to not include here. Elsewhere Welcome To Hell with its stuttering riffs and rambunctious orchestration also stands out, as does folky, subdued centrepiece Still and the theatrical, early Wild Beasts-style shades of tracks like The Race Is About To Begin and 27 Questions.

Black Midi will always be a marmite band and if you weren’t a fan before then this is certainly not the album to get you onboard. However, if you enjoyed the over-the-top dramatics and frenzied ridiculousness of their previous two efforts, you might even find this to be their best album yet.

Listen here

The Present Is A Foreign Land by Deaf Havana

“Overall, The Present Is A Foreign Land is a magnificent rebirth – a deeply personal record from beginning to end, simply brimming with all the heart and resilience the Veck-Gilodi brothers could muster. Although they probably didn’t realise it at the time, everything they’ve been through seems to have been a blessing in disguise. And whilst not everyone has been through the same battles as them, an album that documents coming through unimaginable lows to ultimately have a more optimistic outlook for the future, couldn’t feel any timelier.”

Read my full review for Gigwise here

Read my full interview with Deaf Havana for Gigwise here

Listen to the album here

Also out, also great: Why You Lacking Energy by Cassia, World Wide Pop by Superorganism, I Exist EP by Vukovi, Beatopia by Beabadoobee, A Kid Name Cudi (Re-release) by Kid Cudi

Tracks of the Week

Guitar Songs (TV / The 30th) by Billie Eilish

On the tracks front this week then and global pop sensation Billie Eilish made a return with her first new music since her history-making headline set at Glastonbury last month. Titled Guitar Songs, this duo of heartfelt acoustic songs see Billie and her brother FINNEAS return to their early roots with some gorgeous, stripped-back, no-fuss songwriting.

Listen here

Alright by Sam Fender

Also currently conquering festivals across Europe this summer, Geordie Springsteen Sam Fender has dropped his first new music of 2022. Written during the Seventeen Going Under sessions, it thematically fits the personal and reflective nature of that album, whilst featuring his signature mix of soaring guitars and big bold horns, along with a climatic refrain of “We’re alright, it’s time to put the world to rights.”

Listen here

How Will I Know? by The Amazons

Reading rockers The Amazons continue the build towards their third album, this week unveiling the album’s opening and spiritual title track. As with recent singles Bloodrush and Ready For Something, it continues to suggest the band’s songcraft is maturing nicely with How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me looking set to be their most accomplished project to date. As for the track itself, it boasts a huge singalong chorus that will surely go down an absolute storm at their upcoming summer festivals appearances.

Listen here

Kill Or Be Killed by Muse

The latest single to be taken from Muse’s upcoming album Will of the People is another welcome return to their early heavier roots. Featuring hard chainsaw-like riffs, pulverizing synths and Bellamy’s signature operatic vocals, it’s easily one of their best songs for a very long time.

Listen here

So Far So Good by Gold Tides

And last but certainly not least, Sante Fe outfit Gold Tides have released their first new music since their impressive debut 2021 EP, Fever Water. Featuring a wonderfully hazy and psychedelic central guitar groove with an instantly catchy refrain of “Through the Void I Saw It / Through The Flames I Saw It”, Gold Tides continue to show bags of potential.

Listen here

#working men's club #widow #fear fear #album recommendation #song recommendation #black midi #deaf havana #gold tides #muse #the amazons #billie eilish #sam fender #new music #best new music #new music friday

[butchfalin]

the funniest meltdown ive ever had was in college when i got so overstimulated that i could Not speak, including over text. one of my friends was trying to talk me through it but i was solely using emojis because they were easier than trying to come up with words so he started using primarily emojis as well just to make things feel balanced. this was not the Most effective strategy... until. he tried to ask me "you okay?" but the way he chose to do that was by sending "👉🏼👌🏼❓" and i was so shocked by suddenly being asked if i was dtf that i was like WHAT???? WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME?????????? and thus was verbal again

#yeehaw #1k #5k #10k #posts that got cursed. blasted. im making these tag updates after... 19 hours? #also i have been told it should say speech loss bc nonverbal specifically refers to the permanent state. did not know that! #unfortunately i fear it is so far past containment that even if i edited it now it would do very little. but noted for future reference #edit 2: nvm enough ppl have come to rb it from me directly that i changed the wording a bit. hopefully this makes sense #also. in case anyone is curious. though i doubt anyone who is commenting these things will check the original tags #1) my friend did not do this on purpose in any way. it was not intended to distract me or to hit on me. im a lesbian hes a gay man. cmon now #he felt very bad about it afterwards. i thought it was hilarious but it was very embarrassed and apologetic #2) “why didn't he use 🫵🏼?” didn't exist yet. “why didn't he use 🆗?” dunno! we'd been using a lot of hand emojis. 👌🏼 is an ok sign #like it makes sense. it was just a silly mixup. also No i did not invent 👉🏼👌🏼 as a gesture meaning sex. do you live under a rock #3) nonspeaking episodes are a recurring thing in my life and have been since i was born. this is not a quirky one-time thing #it is a pervasive issue that is very frustrating to both myself and the people i am trying to communicate with. in which trying to speak is #extremely distressing and causes very genuine anguish. this post is not me making light of it it's just a funny thing that happened once #it's no different than if i post about a funny thing that happened in conjunction w a physical disability. it's just me talking abt my life #i don't mind character tags tho. those can be entertaining. i don't know what any of you are talking about #Except the ppl who have said this is pego/ryu or wang/xian. those people i understand and respect #if you use it as a writing prompt that's fine but send it to me. i want to see it #aaaand i think that's it. everyday im tempted to turn off rbs on it. it hasn't even been a week

[aimlesspoet]

a bottom-tier autistic experience is being told throughout your entire childhood that you are just an overthinker when it comes to social situations and later finding out that your friends did, in fact, hate being around you and tried to communicate that through weird little hints

#my worst fears have been realized #i should trust my instincts sometimes #autism #asd #autistic #autistic community #actually autistic #autistic adult #autistic things #neurodivergent #neurodiversity

[serenityquest]

#metamorphosis #change #fear

[caffeinatedopossum]

Me when I remember something I said ages ago that was wrong or my values no longer align with

#my path of self improvement has been less self righteous and personally gainful #and more just. a lot of embarrassment and pain #like i wouldnt change the path i took to get where i am now but i wouldve chosen to travel that path sooner because omg #nothing hits me like the fear that future me will feel the same way about right now me that right now me feels about past tense me

[one-time-i-dreamt]

The bust of a middle aged man made out of butter was sitting on my bathroom counter. It turned and began to scream at me, but the scream was utterly silent. Everything was so silent. I was so frightened of the butter bust.

#dream #art #butter #sculpture #horror #nightmare #scream #fear #bust

[unchartedthelostlegacy]

i love graffiti. "comics and jazz are the only american art forms" you forgot graffiti. did you remember graffiti? That art form birthed in Philly and NYC in the early 70s by poor Black kids. that art form that spread all over the world and influenced so many. that's used without irony in commercials when they're trying to appeal to a "young urban" customer.

did you forget graffiti? that racism broken windows theory victim? that reach the establishment takes claiming that it's exclusively violent gang members throwing up those full-color pieces and wildstyle tags in the middle of the night outsmarting fifty security cameras because the billboard was ugly anyway. as if, even if it was, it wouldn't be impressive as all hell. risking brutality and fall damage so your art can occupy the space a gentrified condo named something like "Coluumna" took away from you. proving that despite only assholes affording to live here anymore there's still a soul beneath it. an animal with dripping stripes and teeth that go clack-clack tsssss

#graffiti #it's like how they claim touching a paper that had drugs on it can kill a police officer #manufactured fear of art itself because of who made it #you won't invest in addiction recovery or keeping libraries open or extracurricular programs but you'll sure as hell give cops overtime #so they can beat a kid writing on a shutter #writers have such big dick energy

[pimsri]

I make art about grief again

#particularly about fear of forgetting a loved one #like their face their voice #fear of time erasing all of that #pimsriart2024 #pimsriart #comic #i guess? #grief

[funplecs]

I was thinking about dungeon based media and I made this alignment chart

#fear and hunger #funger #dungeon meshi #delicious in dungeon #idk how big the overlap between these two things is #alignment chart #if you have more dungeon based media pls add #love me a dungeon

[lesbianfakir]

You’re placed in a room with an animal. The door is closed and you cannot leave. The animal is completely calm and has no intent of harming you. You are in no danger unless you provoke the animal in some way.

#having a conversation about pathological fears of animal #if you put me in a room with the worlds chillest nicest chimpanzee I would be in hysteric #it’s been that way ever since age 12 #that scene in ​nope was the most validated I’ve ever felt in my life #lea off topic tag #I just want to gauge if people have specific phobias of certain animals

[proxycrit]

I made another one. Sorry guys.

#pokemon #art #my art #unholy grab bag of guys #smeargle #pokemon oc #smeargle oc #pkmn art #oc art #oc #crusty the smeargle #sweaty the absol #critdraws #they fill me with emotions that i can not describe #fear? revulsion? joy??? #anyways crusty can have an airsack as a treat #when it deflates it sounds like a whiney train horn #or a very big bike honk

[incognitopolls]

We ask your questions so you don’t have to! Submit your questions to have them posted anonymously as polls.

#polls #incognito polls #anonymous #tumblr polls #tumblr users #questions #animals #phobia #phobias #fear #polls about critters #submitted nov 2

[gay-fae]

also the way that the nimona movie showed that hate is a taught behavior?? the way that gloreth, the hero worshipped for slaying monsters, was fully accepting of nimona until her mother told her what to believe? until that generational bigotry was passed down? the way the director’s motive wasn’t even power like most evil government figureheads in media, but rather a fear of monsters destroying the kingdom because that hate had been instilled in her too, like it had in gloreth? the way ballister was also indoctrinated into hatred of “monsters” until he was just as outcast as one? because only then was he willing to change and learn?? and how even people with good hearts and good intentions like ballister and ambriosius and even the queen herself are still capable of perpetuating bigotry and unnecessary violence when they don’t take the time to understand or learn about the “others” they supposedly hate????????? i need to lie down

#the way that fear of others is portrayed as the most toxic and evil force a society can suffer from #nimona #nimona netflix #ballister blackheart #ballister boldheart #ambrosius goldenloin #lgbtq #fable’s stuff