‘I don’t know the first thing about how to live.’
After the exhausting yet exhilarating trawl through the world at night with ‘Datura’ absorbing all the fun and frolics, then waiting tentatively and precariously under the city lights, questioning how we would get home, we find ourselves sweating profusely yet waking up to the wonder of a new day.
Boston Manor return with ‘Sundiver’ which picks up the story during the hours of daylight, and how we readjust and realign after the darkness of the lockdowns.
We begin with ‘Datura (Dawn)’ a charming choral effect that gently teases you from your slumber, only to realise your inertia and how you must be rid of the ‘Container’ you are caught in. I love this track, it bounces along merrily, it gathers you up and motivates and refreshes your body and soul.
I recently met them at Birmingham HMV Vault, and I bought one of their zines, a guide to how they were feeling, how they should progress and what they felt the world needed to know through their words and pictures. I was drawn to the back cover, forgive my digression for a moment, the empty chair reminded me of Gestalt theory where a person is allowed to unload their baggage onto someone who is not there. A psychological concept it enables feelings to be shared in a safe and secure setting.
I feel music allows us to do this; the lyrics say what we are unable to, the music is the vehicle to access our thoughts and within that framework we feel that somebody is listening keenly to what we want to say.
‘Horses In A Dream’ explores the subject of freedom; the sort of freedom that we all actually crave, the sort of freedom that is extremely difficult to obtain because it requires openness, complete and absolute trust with the person you are with and fearlessness.
‘Morning Star’ is an instrumental piece that allows the listener to run away with their imagination. For an album that quite literally excavates our inhibitions and our frailties, it gives us time to create our own words, if we so wish and we can fantasise in a controlled setting.
The album closer is quite something; with a special appearance by the very talented Debbie Gough of Heriot ‘DC Mini’ is a thing of beauty. Boston Manor have hit the spot in the arrangement here, saving this gem to the very end. Within that there is an opportunity to start over, the words ‘it resets and starts again’ leaves the door open for change, for acceptance and for betterment.
You can catch them live across the UK now as they bring their world to yours, a chance to live, to learn, to love with our cousins from Blackpool, a seaside symphony in the heart of our cities.
Azra Pathan
Boston Manor – Sundiver out now.