The Barefoot Bandit - Cajsa Siik - Resignation
South-West, UK 6-piece The Barefoot Bandit return with the striking new single ‘Criminal Damage’, released at the same time as the band’s debut album Hello Welcome. Blending elements of reggae, dub, electronica and even punk rock and world music the band have built a strong and loyal fan base, as well as a growing hype and are set to take things to the next level with the release of the new album.
Talking about the album, the band explain: "’Hello Welcome’ is a collection of sounds written by The Barefoot Bandit. A pipe dream turned true when we had the opportunity to record the album at the awesome Karma Sound Studios in Thailand. A dub fueled exploration of reggae, punk and world music takes you on a journey from the South-West of England to South-East Asia.”
The album’s lead single ‘Criminal Damage’ is a prime example of the band's work. Tight ska rhythms, infectious brass, choppy piano, driving guitar lines and elegant splashes of atmospherics and electronics create an infectious, musically rich soundscape under the pointed, effortlessly catchy lead vocals. Showcasing a unique and supremely polished approach to creating dub, the single is a brilliant example of the kind of inventive ideas and intuitive songwriting to expect across the new album.
Talking about the new single, the band share: “It is about a true event where someone we know ruined an allotment patch when they were young. The song is basically expressing that mistakes are made and you (hopefully) learn from them.”
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Stockholm based Cajsa Siik’s fourth studio album ”Ninjō” will be out on January 26th via Birds Records. The album holds everything we’ve learned to love with Siik’s songwriting: strong melodies, sparse intelligent arrangements and lyrics aiming straight to the core of your feelings. It’s both playful and powerful. ”Ninjō”, the album, is the sound of an artist once again reinventing herself, working out the songs and sounds during lengthly sessions with producer Erik Moberg.
Cajsa Siik released her debut album ”Plastic House” back in 2012 and has since followed up with 3 full length albums and 2 EP:s. International praise has been constant with the likes of Q Magazine, BBC6, Line of Best Fit and Nylon all joining in. In her home country Siik’s done critically acclaimed appearances on national TV shows ”Babel” and ”GoKväll” as well as being praised by Sweden’s main music journalist Jan Gradvall for her 2018 lo-fi EP ”Low Light Key Sessions”. Tours with, for example, Mitski has taken her to shows in London, Berlin, Dublin and other key European cities.
”Sometimes”, a new single off of the forthcoming album, is out now. A beat driven track that grows bit by bit into a full blown pop anthem.
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Toledo, Ohio's Resignation will release their You Are More Than Right Now EP via Friend Club Records, February 10. 2023. Vocalist Wes Allen says, "I wrote this song to my family. It’s an admittance of an intense mental health battle and the fears of watching time slip away. I named it after Eddie Kingston because he’s a collective favorite amongst the four of us (my wife, kids, and I). Additionally, Eddie is a strong mental health advocate and has been very open about his own struggles with mental illness. These are the most personal lyrics I’ve ever put to a song. It’s the most vulnerable thing I’ve ever written, but I’m the most of proud it as well."
Resignation's members comprise two different generations in the Northwest Ohio punk/hardcore/emo scene. The result is an amalgamation of their collective influences creating a message of hope, honesty, and empathy for people living in the strangest of timelines. This approach has found them a home amongst their hardcore comrades having such closely aligned philosophies.
The culmination of sounds that make up Resignation’s music is most often labeled post-hardcore, bringing together the primary building blocks that informed that genre. Their foundational influences are apparent: Grade, Hot Water Music, Fairweather, Samiam, Elliott. However, upon further inspection, one can hear the impact of early '00s emo that would have found them comfortably fitting amongst the ranks of bands featured on the Emo Diaries.
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