New Music: Feral Family – Brutalizer

Yorkshire post-punk trio Feral Family find themselves in an emotionally exposed and sonically thrilling place alongside Fontaines D.C., IDLES, and Shame, thanks to Brutalizer.

Vocalist Jamie Lowe figuratively represents a drowning man on Brutalizer, as, along with bandmates Oscar Woods and Regan Grimson, he tackles the collision of calm and claustrophobia that comes with being out of your depth, salvation in sight but not within grasp.

Internal and external struggles add layer after layer of emotional burdens, as the band shifts emphasis from tightly focused post-punk to oppressive grunge/garage-referencing alt-rock and back. Lowe mirrors that progression and regression, leaving you with a pleasing ambiguity as to whether you are hearing a man out of hope or one determined to triumph over any adversity that comes his way.  

Lowe explains about the message of the lyrics: “All I’m trying to do is keep my head above water, and sometimes it feels like I’m going under. Juggling all these different elements of life/love/music can be overwhelming, and a lot of it feels like it’s out of my control.”

“It’s like I’m dragged down into the depths, and I can see the sun shining at the top of the waterline, but I just can’t get there. At the end of the day, I’m the only one that can pull myself out of it.”

The phrase “tryna break in my house” typifies the lyrical focus on trying to survive the consequences of invasive thoughts and the collapse of personal boundaries.

Lowe continues: “The line isn’t a physical altercation; it’s a metaphor for when I can’t shut life out, I can’t switch off, and these negative thoughts are racing about. Because I treat my home as my sanctuary, and when situations bleed into that, it has to be dealt with.”

Feral Family have announced a short run of UK dates for early December, stopping off in Leeds, Hull, Manchester, and London. You can get venue and ticket details on the band’s Instagram and Facebook pages.