If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Max Warren London synth-punk quartet Es are back with a new song of their upcoming debut album. "Hidden Track" is less obviously intense than the previous single, "Chemical," but this one still has a lot of bite. The synth line in this song is quite hypnotic in the way that it seems to swirl around vocalist Maria Cecilia Tedemalm's voice during the verses. The chorus has a chant along quality despite not being a gang vocal, which somehow adds to the intensity of the song by playing with punk norms.  Maria Cecilia Tedemalm explains the song:  "'Hidden Track' is a song that took a long time to complete.  The music was entirely realised at least a year before the lyrics were written. Lyrically the chorus is a direct nod to the classic Germs song "What We Do Is Secret"; however thematically 'Hidden Track' explores the inner workings of relational drama. A constant push pull to fully understand and learn about the other p...

Photo by Max Warren When I saw that Es was considered "synth punk" in their press release, I didn't expect the London band to be this hard or noisy. Synths always seem fun, or at least dark and mopey to me. But "Chemical" is an absolute thrasher. It's loud, and heavy, and just a killer punk track that just happens to have a swirling, hypnotic synth throughout. This combination creates a sense of confusion and chaos that might be perfect. Vocalist  Maria Cecilia Tedemalm  explains the song:  "The song was written during a period of emotional and physical fatigue when everything felt overwhelming .  The lyrics directly reflect the downfall of living within a capitalist societal structure which pushes people to their very limit, where striving for being constantly productive and overachieving can take over your life completely."  You can watch the video for "Chemical" below. Less of Everything , the debut album from Es, will be out A...