South London duo PREGOBLIN have released a string of singles to date, and each one seems to bring their slightly sardonic sound into finer focus. The latest is “Gangsters”, which they introduce with the enticing notion:
“The song is about moral ambiguity and the idolisation of outlaws and gangsters. On a personal level it’s about struggling to pay the rent and using loan companies.”
The hilarious dichotomy of that above quote is borne out in “Gangsters”, as they introduce the song with a Morricone-esque Spanish guitar and whistled melodies, while Alex Sebley and Jessica Winter’s voices conjoin with dramatic flair. It’s only when you listen to the words they’re singing in “Gangsters” that you start to realise this is not about a pistols-at-dawn showdown but in fact about the struggle to afford orange juice and bread. Naturally, the only option is to turn to crime – “you save your whole damn life / when you could just rob somebody,” they suggest. It’s not an idea that sounds enticing written down – but blown up into cinematic beauty by PREGOBLIN’s gung-ho approach, it sounds deadly appealing.
The concept of “Gangsters” is taken further in the video, which PREGOBLIN created with Niall Trask and Erin Lawrie. The band explain:
“Two burnt and dusty riders travel a forest landscape. Their mis-mash provisions of tinned food, magazines, vapes, antique firearms, tracksuit bottoms and handmade bin liner suits suggest an imagined chaotic and lawless timeline. They share a tin of condensed milk after a shoot-out at Nour Cash n’ Carry Brixton.”
Hopefully there’s more from PREGOBLIN to come very soon. You can find them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
