Rock and roll’s recent resurgence, often owed to the Arctic Monkeys and the return of Oasis, sees Bilk, frontman Sol Abraham, bassist Luke Hare, and drummer Harry Gray, making their mark with Essex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll, set for release on January 24th.
A Chelmsford three-piece known for their Indie Sleaze, Hip Hop blend reminiscent of The Streets, Bilk’s new record under Scruff of The Neck promised an explicit tribute to British youth’s chaos. Unfortunately, its over-polished production and occasionally funny lyricism fail to capture their earlier work’s rough, playful angst, rendering it as unoriginal as its title suggests.
The opening track ‘RnR’ sets the tone for the album’s issues, compiling a riff emulating Primal Scream’s ‘Rocks’ on top of exhausted British rock clichés. The chorus “say what you say, I’m a rock and roll star today” falls into this bracket, blurting Oasis tributes and cliches thoughtlessly. ‘F Up’ leans even further into Brit-pop but it feels less hollow, with the chorus “I’m a fuck up til the day that I die” boasting pints of attitude as well as a guitar solo more befitting of the homage.
‘On It’ tries to capture the loud, messiness of a British house party but could not feel more tame. The refrain “We’re getting on it” sounds like a half-hearted rock anthem while the verse offers a shallow take into UK drinking culture. Where are the funny anecdotes and strange characters? Ironically, the line “now’s not the time to sit and reflect on life” suggests Bilk could have benefited from doing just that.
A track which calls to the fun of youth promiscuity, ‘Slag’ shows a return to form with verses that refuse to be taken seriously with humorous lines like “Thought I was gay so I tried to shag Ted, but I weren’t so I shagged his older sister instead”. It is, however, hard not to criticise the chorus which resembles the worst part of a Disney Channel song.
‘Summer Days’ strives to be a serious love song with chillwave-style guitar and bass but feels out of place on the record and rammed full of sickly cliches. The acoustic ‘Beatriz’ suffers similarly but fares better as a catchy and innocent pop track. Another stripped-back song, ‘Skidmark’ acts as an explicitly funny diss track with the focus on Sol’s vengefully bitter lyricism: “I hope the cab goes the wrong way and doubles your fare.” Alternatively, the acoustic-led ‘Very Nice Life’ and ‘Turning Pages’ aim for introspection but barely break the surface.
There are places where the record delivers with ‘Tommy’ standing out for its witty third-person storytelling about a relationship that leaves the girl “sat in front of the telly sticking needles in her face” with a heavier sound which suits the spoken vocals. ‘Go’ also turns into hard rock with a menacing bass line and lyrics that swing at the reception towards their rock and roll singles.
A song about the paralysis of mundane life, ‘This Room Is Caving In On Me’ is notable for its grittier rock sound, tongue-in-cheek lyrics, and the clever refrain “I’m tryna find some motivation”. As the title of the song suggests, ‘Band Life Blues’ adopts blues-rock alongside Bilk’s hip-hop hybridisation, and stands out for its carefree, ridiculous humour.
Essex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll makes the mistake of leaning too heavily on British rock tributes, losing the messy, charismatic lyricism that defined their self-published titles. You could say that it’s best appreciated at full volume on a messy gig night as critical reflection, ironically, makes it fall apart.
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