Economy by Hard Left
Hard Left are a hard-mod/punk band born out of a desire to explore leftist political ideas and marry them to rabble-rousing music worthy of the worldwide struggle against capital. Far from a dry exercise in doctrinaire thought, Hard Left's songs are great punk first and foremost, and ripping good fun.
Their debut album "We Are Hard Left" is a concise and explosive punk record, packed with anthems of resistance and calls to action. It is a record that hits hard, crammed with guitars that soar and rage, group chants and raw-throated vocals. It's anthemic in the best way -- inspiring but never heavy-handed, a worthy successor to records by bands like The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, Sex Pistols and The Dils.
Now they're back with this new 4 song 7" EP entitled "Economy." On the A-side we have the super-tough title track, a modish and Marxist shout from the terraces. "Economy" is urgent, driving and is perhaps the first punk song in recent memory to quote radical German writer Georg Büchner. Kicked off by a sharp riff and Comrade M's mad cackle, "In A Crowd" is also a nod to the band's mod influences. It's a call to arms wrapped up in an incendiary, thrilling punk tune: a simply electric 85 seconds.
On the flip the band collaborates with noted ranting poet Tim Wells. Straight from east London, Wells is made of reggae, lager top, pie & mash and Leyton Orient FC. "Hoxton Market Forces," taken from Wells' latest book "Everything Crash," is a pin-sharp indictment of urban gentrification set to a roiling pop-art explosion of a tune. Wells seethes with indignation while the band smashes it up behind him; chaos beckons but never quite takes over. The EP wraps up with Wells reciting DH Lawrence's "The Oxford Voice" over a handclap-fueled glam stomper. Pure magic, and an excellent example of why Wells and Hard Left sought each other out.
Tracklist
| 1. | Economy | 1:37 |
| 2. | In A Crowd | 1:28 |
| 3. | Hoxton Market Forces | 1:58 |
| 4. | The Oxford Voice | 1:33 |
Credits
Hard Left for this recording were:
Mike: exhortations
Donna: bass, vocals
Tim: guitar, vocals
Stewart: drums, vocals
Recorded May 2015 by D. Cramer at the Hotel California.
"Hoxton Market Forces" and "The Oxford Voice" feature Tim Wells on vocals and additional production by Nick Hodgson in London, England.
This is Future Perfect Records 004.
License
All rights reserved.
Hard Left is a political punk band inspired by liberatory leftist movements of the past and present. Our music is a soundtrack for direct action, an invitation to critical thought and a challenge to complacency. We privilege the "we" over the "I" and argue for the centrality of class struggle in our collective battle against neoliberalism, authoritarianism and imperialism.