Songs of 2019 #5: Don't Cling to Life - The Murder Capital

Don't Cling to Life - The Murder Capital

The Murder Capital are another new band that takes inspiration from Post-Punk. They are also Irish from Dublin, and while they are not singing specifically about Irish themes, their being from Dublin is evident in different ways. These characteristics mean they have been somehow overshadowed by another excellent Irish band like Fontaines DC (more about them in the future). Which is a pity, because The Murder Capital's debut album "When I Have Fears" is an outstanding piece work.

The title of the album provides a good clue about what The Murder Capital sing about, which is mostly existential themes. Their post-punk style is very well-suited to deal with these themes in an emotionally eloquent way. It is easy to spot some of their influences, most notably from Joy Division. And yet The Murder Capital combine these and articulate them in a way that provides sparks and substance.

There are some great songs on their debut album, like More is Less, and The Green and Blue. But a good example of what they are capable of is Don't Cling to Life. It's a song about death, inspired by the death of a band member's relative. Despite the dejected theme and lack of hope in an afterlife (Don't cling to life, there's nothing on the other side), it's a punchy song and has almost a celebratory tone of the fleeting moments and bliss we can engender in this world (Let's dance and cry, so we remember why we die).

They do all this with mastery and without sounding contrived. So enjoy...


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