Seatbelts explore themes of capitalism, modernisation and escapism with new single “Sinful City”.
Liverpool indie quartet Seatbelts have released a new single, “Sinful City”, written around the ideas of capitalism, modernisation and escapism that their previous music also touched on. This time, they develop their ideas further to ask the question of “how our sense of self is influenced by temptations found in the shimmery delights of the modern city”. With a subject like this, I was almost expecting to hear some Harvard referencing towards the end, but thankfully Seatbelts choose to respond with their usual suave flair that BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio Wales have already caught onto.
Although the band name Seatbelts originates from an anagram of ‘The Beatles’, James, Ryan, Abigail and Alex have forged a sound of their very own, featuring a ‘driving beat, factory-like horns and unrelenting bass loops’ on “Sinful City” in particular. Their exploration of the subject matter results in clever, poignant lyrics (“A lifestyle on constant trial / dispair and desperation take hope”) and an instrumental middle-eight brings us to a dream-pop moment that hints at escapism with glimmering synths. A music video made of old advertisements and YouTube videos accompanies the song (incidentally including footage of car crash dummies who are decidedly not wearing seatbelts) and creates a dystopian collage of idealism that perfectly suits the song’s message.
Seatbelts are on the up with their fast-paced, intelligent songwriting, so get on board and catch their latest news on releases and gigs on their social media.
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