London post-punks TV Priest are finally releasing their debut album Uppers next month, via their new label of Sub Pop. With a veritable trail of scorching singles already on their path, they’ve shared another this week called “Press Gang”.
The new track was inspired by Charlie Drinkwater’s grandfather’s time as a photojournalist in the 50s to the 80s, and he and the band have put together an impassioned statement about him and their relationship to modern news.
In “Press Gang”, the vocalist seems to be extrapolating on the mayhem that was media in the 20th century and bringing us up to where it is in 2021, sunk in a realm of untruths and confusion caused by irresponsible reporting. The track begins menacingly, with a skeletal but imposing rhythm section surging under Drinkwater’s gnarled proclamations, before TV Priest explode into a combusting chorus that seems to mirror the disorientation that comes with trying to separate reality from what’s reported. “You’re better off uninformed,” Drinkwater mutters as his patience with modern practices seems to wear off – but the song continues to surge on maniacally, just like the printing presses that just keep running and running, heedlessly dishing out unreliable information to an unsuspecting public.
The video for “Press Gang” finds Drinkwater as the head of this media circus, harassed and outspoken. Enjoy it below.
TV Priest’s debut album Uppers arrives on February 5 through Sub Pop. You can find the band on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
