The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, a gritty 1981 gem by G.B. Edwards, takes you deep into the life of an old Guernseyman. Ebenezer Le Page doesn’t mince words as he recalls the love, loss, and the slow decay of his island home over the years. His sharp, reflective storytelling digs into the heart of island life, revealing the stubborn spirit of Guernsey and the tight bonds he shares with family, friends, and the land. It’s a poignant dive into memory, identity, and the relentless march of time in an ever-changing world.
This book, notably a favourite of Nick Cave, planted the seeds of inspiration for London-based but Guernsey-born synth-driven art-pop soloist China Aster (Joshua Moore) with their breezy but bittersweet Not a Holiday.
“The Book of Ebenezer Le Page mentions that Guernsey experienced two occupations in the 1900s: the Nazis and the finance industry,” Moore explains. “People know about Guernsey’s ‘tax haven’ status but not how it benefits the wealthy at the expense of the tax-paying majority of hardworking people. There’s alienation at home, like so many ‘homes’ around the world…the idea of ‘home’ is only meaningful if there is an outside, real or imagined. Likewise, holidays seem equally impossible without the burdens, routines and dramas of home playing on your mind. I think this relationship between the two is pertinent at a time when the utopian promises of breaking down binaries like home and work life is actually just the nightmare of never being able to switch off.”
The track walks a tightrope between deep reflection and a beat that makes you want to move. Moore’s impassioned voice, mixed with his sharp, sardonic lyrics, dances between the poetic and the everyday, wrestling with the notion of never really feeling at home, no matter where you are.
The lyrics dive into the push and pull between the comfort of home and the urge to flee. The singer muses on being away, admitting it’s a break but not a real holiday. Familiar faces and places turn oddly unfamiliar upon returning. Though they love coming home, there’s a nagging indecision and a sense that they’re more at ease when distant. It’s a catchy reflection, driven by jangly guitars, pounding percussion, and art-pop flair. Imagine Bowie-inspired flanged pianos and guitars with a nod to Kirin J Callinan. Self-described as “a campaign for lucid daydreaming,” China Aster explores hope and optimism through notions of political action and science fiction, via contemporary art-pop, and channeling classic artists such as The Style Council, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, ABC, and Talking Heads.
Accompanying the track is a DIY music video featuring Moore frantically navigating Brighton on a surreal, sci-fi-infused business trip. ‘Not a Holiday’ is co-produced by Oliver Marson, and mixed by Joshua Rumble (Black Country, New Road, Do Nothing, Fraulein, Anteros).
Watch the video for “Not a Holiday” below:
Taking its botanical name from a debt-ridden character in Herman Melville’s The Confidence Man, the China Aster started in 2022 with the debut single If I Could Dance.
Moore moved to southeast London to study Fine Art at Goldsmiths, where he drew on inspiration from the utopian writings of Karl Marx, Ernst Bloch and Nikolai Fyodorov. Recent singles have tackled topics ranging from rationality, memory to toxic positivity.
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