Boston Manor’s new album, GLUE, was released on 1st May through Pure Noise Records. The Blackpool, UK quintet gave us a taster in April of what we could expect from their new release, in the form of EP, Plasticine Dreams. Regardless of the five-song teaser, there was still no way it could have prepared us for what was to come in GLUE.
GLUE offers a whole spectrum of emotions and messages. It is gritty, raw, melancholic, confrontational and unmistakably, Boston Manor – following on from the pivotal release of Welcome to the Neighbourhood. Their second album took on more of an experimental sound which was moody and atmospheric with a mixture of genre influences, a style that is also reflected in this third album. Much like Welcome to the Neighbourhood, GLUE is a captivating album that is not only thought-provoking, but also makes you want to jump straight into a pit and scream the lyrics with vocalist, Henry Cox. But for now, we’ll have to make do with rocking out at home on Zoom, with our gig buddies!
There are no rose-tinted glasses in this record but it’s refreshing – Cox’s lyrics serving up some truths about the world that are often overlooked. There is an underlying sense of protest in the tracks, especially in “Everything is Ordinary”, “1’s & 0’s”, “Plasticine Dreams”, “Ratking” and “Monolith”.
GLUE sets the scene with the chaotic energy of “Everything is Ordinary”, it’s punk, it’s urgent and delivers the message that society is in a bubble: “Put on your plastic smile / why don’t you hide in the grey for a while? / Are we just comfortably numb?”
“Everything is Ordinary” is unlike anything Boston Manor have ever put out, with the auto-tuned vocals over the energetic synths and distorted guitars.
The messages behind the first track are also reflected in “Plasticine Dreams”, Cox writes about how frivolous celebrity culture is and the idea that life is easier if you just stick your head in the sand: “Forget about the things you’ve seen / everything is perfect.” Certainly a lyric that could be applied to a whole host of sociopolitical and global issues and it’s delivered so effortlessly through Cox’s storytelling.
The tempo is changed up with the atmospheric and eerie “On a High Ledge”. Cox brings things a little closer to home with this poignant track of dedication. When he was seven years old, he saw a man commit suicide by jumping off a bus station in Blackpool and so, “On a High a Ledge” rejects the concept of toxic masculinity and the negative stigma around men seeking mental health support: “Father, I think I’m different / I don’t like playing with other boys.”
The urgency throughout Boston Manor’s new album reaches a crescendo with “Monolith”, referred to by the band as being reminiscent of “Hate You” and “Tunnel Vision” off Welcome to the Neighbourhood. There’s no denying it’ll be a crowd-pleaser during live shows with the energy of the catchy chorus: “Hey you, fuck you too / I’ll do what I want when I want to.”
Cox said at the end of the band’s listening party on YouTube, “It’s a fucking rager of an album”, and we couldn’t agree more.
You can stream GLUE here and check out the “Plasticine Dreams” music video below:
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