There’s been a lot of talk lately about working from home, and how now that the pandemic is kinda, sorta, maybe, hopefully over, we all should head back to the mindless soul-sucking job environment that demanded more time and energy from us than our family, pets, and hobbies. So it seems Public Body’s new EP, Flavour of Labour, out this past Friday (March 4), self-released digitally and out on 12-inch vinyl via Six Tonnes De Chair Records, has landed at jus the right time.
We’ve written about the acerbic post-punk and art-rock from the Brighton (UK) band before — including a trio of their past singles — and here Public Body continue their frenzied aural assault on workplace ennui and frustration across five new tracks. The EP was recorded at Echo Zoo studios and produced by guitarist Theo Verney (FEET, English Teacher, FUR, Home Counties).
“Flavour Of Labour has a couple of different themes but it’s mainly about work,” says vocalist and guitarist Seb Gilmore. “At the time I had lived in Brighton for almost 10 years and for a lot of that time I’d worked pretty terrible call centre jobs. When you leave education and your first taste of full time work is working for bad companies who are either taking advantage of their employees or their customers. How can you feel good about giving 40 hours a week of your life to something like that. So heck! I’ll write a song about it or like 10.”
Sure, we all need jobs (we guess), but we’re getting smarter about just what these employees can extract from us on a daily basis. Feel Public Body’s propulsive mantra below, and fire up “Reset My Password” as you feel your soul leave your body before lunch.