The new single from Scotland’s Frightened Rabbit sounds upbeat enough, but its title gives a hint of what’s to come. The first line of “Dead Now” is, “I am not myself, I am a broken boxer stuffed with glass and sand.” But the chorus of this soul-tinged clap-along is darker still: “I’m dead now, check my chest and you’ll see / The light has been mined from me, burned for the heat.” Like life though, the song’s happy mood persists throughout its accompanying video, which compiles tour footage running the gamut from intimate moments to onstage triumphs. Overall, the clip showcases a group of guys who are probably a bit more playful than Scott Hutchinson’s lyrics would suggest. Of course, we’re not surprised by the fella’s dour poetry — the band’s September State Hospital EP featured a collaboration with countryman Aidan Moffat, a sadcore guru who made his name in Arab Strap. “Dead Now” is the first taste of Frightened Rabbits’ forthcoming 2013 full-length, Pedestrian Verse, recorded in South Wales with producer Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno, David Byrne, Grace Jones).
Here’s some info on the album from Hutchinson himself, via statement and perpetually self-effacing lowercase: “the title is taken from a lyric in ‘state hospital’. i felt it was a nicely faceted title, with enough layered meaning to remain open to interpretation. above all though, it was a gauntlet i threw down for myself. if you call your album ‘pedestrian verse’, you can’t settle for any old lyric. it forced me to better myself. in fact, i think we all stepped up on this album and i believe that our producer leo abrahams had a major role in that step. he threw our music into areas we had not previously imagined. more than any other record we’ve done this has been a genuine journey of discovery into new ways of working in order to develop and fully realise each of the songs. as a result, i think ‘pedestrian verse’ the strongest and most interesting record we’ve made to date.”
Frightened Rabbit, Pedestrian Verse track list:
1. “Acts Of Man”
2. “Backyard Skulls”
3. “Holy”
4. “The Woodpile”
5. “Late March, Death March”
6. “December’s Traditions”
7. “Housing (in)”
8. “Dead Now”
9. “State Hospital”
10. “Nitrous Gas”
11. “Housing (out)”
12. “The Oil Slick”
