Flat Party and the no holds barred acerbic artful punk pummel of "Dig Up Concrete With A Plastic Shovel"

 

"passing time so similar to killing it / it depends on which lenses we wear / hollowed out days erode the frame of care / then you find you're stuck / in a place unknown..."

The emotional incendiary "Dig Up Concrete With A Plastic Shovel" by London's Flat Party, the duo of vocalist Jack Lawther and guitarist/vocalist Rory O’Rourke, is a jammy banger of a song. The track, a frenzied musical whirling, barking pit bull on a chain feels at once precisely rendered but, at twice, curiously improvisational. Whatever it feels like and however it was constructed this barrage of proto punk rock guitar, bass, drums and (I think) synths that falls away into psychedelic doo wop types of romantic (just for a little while) feels exquisitely artful, though it doesn't feel like art rock, art punk yeah, maybe that is a better descriptor. 

It is the kind of no hold's barred acerbic artful punk / indie rock that could be the sound derived by an amalgam of early Radiohead, Television, The Modern Lovers and TV on The Radio. The imagery this song conjured up in my head, drenched in the deathly feeling of not having the right tools for the right job, includes the victim of being put upon by thugs and in the trunk of a car on the way to being killed. This poor sap has to dig his own grave but only has a plastic shovel. A bloody cosmic joke. That being said, vocalist Jack Lawther has this to share:

“Dig Up Concrete With A Plastic Shovel is an aphorism for a task that is impossible to complete. Abject cynicism is often masked by saying one is “being realistic” and this song is about the harmful effects of this. In believing that to even attempt in life is futile, one sets themselves up to fail in everything from relationships to simply having coffee with a friend.” 

 AND from Press notes:

[Self-produced by the band themselves at Abbey Road Studios, mixed Chris McCrory (Walt Disco, Catholic Action) and mastered by Noel Summerville (The Clash, My Bloody Valentine, Kraftwerk), "Dig Up Concrete..." skips joyously between barbed guitar stabs and irresistible call and response vocals; briefly descending into a lugubrious, woozy mid-section, before climbing out of the gloom into a feverish closing blast of art-punk.] 

From George Harrison bending dream pop lead lines, to art punk contortions, "Dig Up Concrete With A Plastic Shovel" sticks to your psyche like nasty cockleburs do to your socks. More important stuff from press notes:  

[Flat Party are adamant they do not want to be pigeonholed, with collective influences ranging from acts such as Big Star and Lava La Rue, to Suede, Sparks, Japanese Breakfast and David Bowie.

"What we’re mostly about is escapism," vocalist Jack Lawther explains, going into more detail on the band's ethos. "Rory and I have had similar upbringings, we both grew up in towns devoid of any real culture and so music, art and literature were the only things that excited us; I think this is why our lyrics are very visual. We want to paint worlds for people to step into for three minutes and just forget about everything else."

Flat Party's new single "Dig Up Concrete With A Plastic Shovel" is out now via Submarine Cat Records.]

-Robb Donker Curtius

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THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM 

https://www.facebook.com/flatpartyLDN

https://www.instagram.com/flatparty_/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D

https://twitter.com/party_flat?s=21


Consisting of vocalist Jack Lawther and guitarist/vocalist Rory O’Rourke, the pair met whilst studying in Bath, before moving to London in 2021 where the long-held vision for Flat Party finally came to life.

The outfit's second single "Dig Up Concrete With A Plastic Shovel", released today on their new label home Submarine Cat Records, is a frenzied reproach to 'abject cynicism'.

Self-produced by the band themselves at Abbey Road Studios, mixed Chris McCrory (Walt Disco, Catholic Action) and mastered by Noel Summerville (The Clash, My Bloody Valentine, Kraftwerk), "Dig Up Concrete..." skips joyously between barbed guitar stabs and irresistible call and response vocals; briefly descending into a lugubrious, woozy mid-section, before climbing out of the gloom into a feverish closing blast of art-punk.

Speaking on the lyrical inspiration behind the new single, vocalist Jack Lawther said:

“Dig Up Concrete With A Plastic Shovel is an aphorism for a task that is impossible to complete. Abject cynicism is often masked by saying one is “being realistic” and this song is about the harmful effects of this. In believing that to even attempt in life is futile, one sets themselves up to fail in everything from relationships to simply having coffee with a friend.”

Flat Party self-released their debut single "Fish" towards the end of 2022 - an agitated yet undeniably catchy slice of modern art-rock that was quickly added to Spotify's Hot New Bands playlist. In recent months the band have followed up that initial wave of excitement with key support dates with (now-label-mates) FEET, along with Saloon Dion, Fräulein, Gag Salon and more.

Flat Party, art punk duo, escapist rock, emotional incendiary, oddly curious, kinetic, doo wop, dreamy weirdness, vocalist Jack Lawther and guitarist Rory O’Rourke, "Dig Up Concrete With A Plastic Shovel",