Just when you thought it was literally the end of civilisation, The Young Knives (or, more properly) Young Knives without the “The” any more have released a new album, Barbarians. And. It’s. Rather. Good. Indeed. Their last album was something like 7 years ago. It’s very very welcome.
Their earlier quirky and delightfully melodic songs – which still get a lot of play around these parts – have given way to some incredibly dark sounding tunes that are eerily menacing but equally amusing. Their description as “self-aware nihilistic miserabilists” is evident in their very odd, disturbing music videos which are certainly worth watching.
I’ve been working from home today and been playing their videos on Youtube in the background and it’s been fascinating to watch their trajectory from early songs like Rollerskater and The Decision to Society for Cutting Up Men on the new album. There’s no sense that they’ve ever settled on a formula and, if anything, seem to have gone out of their way to continually reinvent themselves.
Their online launch party is a thing of beauty and excellence in itself: