L.S. Dunes tackle hatred and fear on biting new single ‘Bombsquad’
L.S. Dunes have returned with their third single, a raging assault on political fanatics titled ‘Bombsquad’.
In a press release, frontman Anthony Green (formerly of Circa Survive) said the lyrics for ‘Bombsquad’ stemmed from a poem he’d written in the wake of the United States Capitol attack – when on January 6, 2021, far-right zealots violently stormed the Capitol building in Washington, DC to “protest” Donald Trump’s loss in the previous year’s Presidential election.
“In the midst of the pandemic,” Green wrote, “people were trying to take down the government because a con-man politician couldn’t admit that he had lost the election, not for any legitimate grievance or protest. The song is a rage against society’s depressing and destructive forces.”
‘Bombsquad’ arrives alongside a live video of L.S. Dunes performing at Dreamland Studios in Woodstock, New York. In addition to being where some of the band’s members’ favourite records were tracked (the presser cites albums by Sunny Day Real Estate, The National and The Hold Steady as particular gems), Dreamland is significant here for its cultural link to the lyrics on ‘Bombsquad’.
At one point in time, the studio’s building operated as a church. On how that’s relevant to ‘Bombsquad’, Green pointed to its choral refrain of “Leora”, explaining: “‘Leora’ is an age-old word meaning ‘of the light’ or ‘compassion’, which I think is something we need to call and reflect on for growth and unity.”
Have a listen to ‘Bombsquad’ below, then see their ‘Live At Dreamland’ performance of it:
‘Bombsquad’ is the single from L.S. Dunes’ forthcoming debut album, ‘Past Lives’, following the August release of ‘Permanent Rebellion’ and last month’s ‘2022’. The album itself is due out on November 11 via Fantasy Records.
The identities of L.S. Dunes’ members were also revealed in August, some three months after their name first appeared on the poster for this year’s Riot Fest. In addition to Green on vocals, the post-hardcore supergroup features Frank Iero (of My Chemical Romance) and Travis Stever (of Coheed And Cambria) on guitar. They’re joined by Tim Payne on bass, with his Thursday bandmate Tucker Rule (who also played in Yellowcard for a time) rounding out the fold on drums.
The 11-track ‘Past Lives’ was produced by Will Yip (Quicksand, Turnstile, Code Orange), who tracked the band at his Studio 4 Recording space in Philadelphia. According to another press release, writing for the album was wholly collaborative, with themes including “fearlessness, dependency, nonconformity, and impermanence”.
L.S. Dunes made their live debut at Riot Fest, and will head to the UK for a stint of four shows in January.
Meanwhile, Circa Survive confirmed last week that they’re no longer an active band. Following months of rumours that they’d broken up, the band finally issued a statement explaining that “for the time being, [they’re] considering Circa on an indefinite hiatus”.
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Ellie Robinson
NME
