Department S have released a new single- the title track of their forthcoming new studio album “BURN DOWN TOMORROW.”
The band describe the song as being “…a modern take on the classic Department S sound and vibe.” Songwriter and Department S frontman Phil Thompson gives the lowdown on the song’s genesis and how it fits into the overall themes of the forthcoming album as, title track…
“I always say that being a bloke of a certain age presents its own challenges when it comes to writing songs generally. You can’t really fall back on a lot of the classic rock and pop song subjects without sounding at best desperate and at worst downright creepy. I mean, songs about cars and girls? Hmm… Consequently, you can fall into the trap of everything you write about either sounding really trivial or really miserable, especially if you look around at what’s actually happening in the world.
There’s almost too much going on to reflect in a song. I wanted to try, but nothing was happening until one day my daughter asked, “Dad, what if we burn down tomorrow?” in relation to a Christmas advent candle with the dates printed down the side of it. That was the phrase I needed, and the song came within the next twenty minutes.”
Phil expands on the forthcoming album and how this track informed the rest of the material on it and how the 2022 Department S relates to the history of the band… “It became the title around which we constructed the rest of the album which tackles themes of dealing with the past, both personal and global, in order to properly look at the future and what can be made of it. We feel that we have a lot to live up to as a band. As early as1981 Vaughn Toulouse had both satirised and prophesied the oncoming greed of the 1980s with [glorious third Department S single} “I Want.” We want to make sure that whatever we do at least attempts to have that same resonance with the times…” “Oh, and the tunes have to be killer as well!” Phil continues, clearly relishing the challenge of respecting the band’s legacy as well as adding to it. “Stepping into the shoes of a tunesmith such as Mike Herbage who wrote THAT riff on [new-wave classic] “Is Vic There?” brings a responsibility of its own. We hope people are going to love this music- we think it’s the best we’ve ever produced.”
Department S are:
Phil Thompson: vocals and guitar
Simon Bowley: drums and vocals
Mike Lea: bass and vocals
