Conformity, following the norm, challenging the ideas of ‘a normal life’ – it’s been the lyrical bread and butter of the punk/post-punk world for decades now and while the topics themselves remain as ever relevant to 2021, the musical ‘element’ to said butter has often been spread thin. Approaching the Capitalist rat race with a fresh set of tools, anonymous and animated anarchist Faron Sage commands us to look inwards on brilliant new single, ‘Status Quo’.
The track is very much a tale of two halves. ‘Status Quo’ is introduced through a hypnotic, keyboard-led, chant where dystopian retro-futuristic soundscapes form the backdrop for the worshipping of the ‘Status Quo’. Leaving no room to mince words, a chorus of modulated vocals beckon you to “All hail the Status Quo”, desperately attempting to convince listeners that “We’ve never had it so good, there’s never been so much freedom!”.
This forms the track’s backbone and makes for an addictive listen as the earworm hook slowly burrows deeper into the mind – a quality I’m sure Faron intended to match to the real-world subliminal messaging the track is based upon – but is merely a false sense of comfort before Faron switches to a rapid aural assault.
‘Status Quo’ switches its steady cerebral hypnosis to an off-kilter electronic punch up where Faron revisits his more established hip-hop deliveries in a scathing critique of the modern ‘rat race’ mentality – delivered with such scorn and venom, it’s impossible to not leave room for introspection after the track comes to a close.
Faron Sage is certainly building themselves an eclectic catalogue that will surely culminate into a fantastic full-length project – whenever that may be – but for now this new single just comes as a friendly reminder of their talents and their unstoppable drive. Whatever comes next for Faron Sage is unknown but there’s no doubt it will be worth the wait.
Audiences can look forward to raising their roses or pitchforks when Status Quo and its accompanying animated video release worldwide Nov 11th.
Words by Alex Mace
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