Picture this scene: The curtain rises on the new kid in school; the greenhorn in the jungle of urban decay. This tenderfoot saunters into the scene, bringing a whiff of change, a glimmer of hope for the restless souls already entrenched in the battle. A rebellious rabble-rouser with youth’s fervour, spitting in the eye of adulthood’s mundane expectations.
The spirit of youth, untamed and relentless, kicks against the pricks, dodging the snares set by power-hungry parasites. They grip their ideals like a lifeline, determined to stave off the poisons seeping from the greed-soaked fingers of those who’d bleed the world dry. This new blood, this fresh face in a land of weary warriors, isn’t here to play nice.
No, this kid’s here to rewrite the rules, to dance on the graves of worn-out conventions with a wink and a smile. Lighthearted but fierce, they turn the tide, a gust of wind rattling the stagnant air, stirring the embers of defiance into a roaring blaze. And so, the stage is set, the players ready, with the fresh-faced fighter leading the charge against the encroaching darkness.
This little vignette is the subject of birthday boy Thurston Moore’s latest offering, New In Town, from his forthcoming album Flow Critical Lucidity.
“The song is about fresh blood,” Moore says. “The new kid in school. The new kid on the scene. A new potential for change in an already active community hoping to protect the world from the poisons of power-hungry creeps. The spirit of youth demonstrated in the early ’80s slam pits of hardcore refusing the worn-out expectations of adulthood.”
Discard any daydreams of what this theme would sound like – most would expect New In Town to be a lurching punk-tinged tune, or something more in the vein of Gang of Four. Instead, he throws a mighty curveball. The hypnotic tabla backbeat slithers in, sketching a scene for a pensive, shimmering atonal atmosphere.
Moore sing-songs his way through the lyrics, spinning a slick serenade. This, indeed, is the ideal blend Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson might have brewed, had they joined forces with Ravi Shankar. It’s a symphony of strangeness, where rhythms ripple like whispers in a twilight alley, and melodies meander like shadows on a moonlit boulevard. The result is a tantalizing tango between East and West, tradition and innovation.
Listen to New In Town below:
Thurston Moore has a series of live dates, DJ sets, and signings scheduled for the rest of 2024. He will start with a DJ set and live performance with Devon Ross at Rough Trade East in London on July 24. On August 8, Moore’s band will perform at the Way Out West Festival in Gothenburg, Sweden. Returning to London on September 22, Moore will host a live performance and album launch party, along with a signing session at Rough Trade East. On October 1, Moore will collaborate with Hamid Drake for a duo performance at Bozar in Brussels, Belgium. In November, he will participate in a ‘Sonic Life’ Q&A at the Miami Book Fair in Florida. The tour will conclude with Moore curating a series of events from December 4-7 at The Stone in New York City.
Thurston Moore Tour Dates:
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