Review: Polite Bureaux- "EXCEPT YOUR SKiNT" Album
Social narratives, elite swagger and a shameless amount of northerness, Polite Bureaux, like cigarette-filled pub garden conversations, have brought raucousness, unapologetic social commentaries and foul mouthed philosophies to the table with their recent album release, ‘EXCEPT YOUR SKiNT’.
With what feels like a future generational album of electronic berserkness, post punk riffs and charisma tinged references, the band bring together some of most complex arrangements in styles representing some of life’s simplest moments.
I fortunately came across the band at Nowadaze festival this year, doing the usual circuit around stages and got hooked in by a buzzing bassline, heavy electronica samples and the main man, Joe Smith, peacocking around the stage until he leaned forward and in a thick accent came the words;
“BROKE BISCUITS, YOU AND ME, DIRTY TWATS, BODYROCKERS”
A northern Mike Skinner, our generation’s Sleaford Mods over Underworld-like electronic instrumentals and pure post punk stage presence. To come across a band so wildly obscure, yet all their words feel so familiar is remarkable. I have never smiled so much during a set.
The project, labelled by themselves as a collection of poems and stories by Joe and Maya Lili’s father, Rob Smith, unlike the previous album, CUNT MONDAY, brings to life a lot more of the band’s influences and expertise. Pairing the non-fictional social struggle with teeth grinding punk-electronic soundscapes, Joe’s leering and jeering vocals amuse us with references such as “wooden toy kitchenettes”, “I Heart Sauvignon Blanc” or “Wrigley’s juicy fruit”.
These lines and verses, like time capsules, instil a memory-jerking fondness. We were never present during these moments shared by their father but EXCEPT YOUR SKiNT is such a fitting ode. As a listener, you feel present in every room, every fucked-up situation and in agreement with their anti-establishment, systemic-opposing, brazen narrative.
Unlike their usual styles, ‘Where do you come from’ is the melancholic album opener recounting “less than perfect moments” and giving overview to the album. If on stage, this song would be the opening monologue under a single spot light. The light piano keys, the strings, digital percussion and Smith’s words come together similar to an early release from the Streets.
Previous released, ‘Bradford’, is a proud stamp of heritage and upbringing for the band. It’s a retrospective take on daily life, talking bus journeys, DHS cafes, sugar puffs, toast and jam. Yet there’s a sweet child-like narrative, comparing the fountain in the Arndale centre to Las Vegas, showing how simple pleasures in youth can mean so much, thinking back to them conjures up such a fondness we perhaps lose in latter life. The chiming notes throughout the track don’t just bring rhythm to Joe’s spoken word, it accentuates this nostalgia, in creating a fragmented, hazy memory, slowly pieced together.
Track 3, initially stripped back, and poetically anecdotal ‘Another tooth quit’ serves as a wacky metaphor about a cracked tooth. He blends in disjointed lyrics into a chanting mantra: “obsolete, wear and tear, long gone, short and sweet”, describing how this one mishap has brought about so many difficulties. The track builds until it drops two minutes in, more elaborately showcasing the band’s layering, variety in song formats, melodic pairing and synergy.
After the gentle introduction from the first three tracks, we are again met with two completely different tracks, the recently released, ‘LIDL Fiddle’ and ‘MiFT’. Both seemingly inspired by Sleaford Mods but with a Bradford twang. Heavy, moody riffs this time, punked out tracks that are made for mosh pits. One, a rolling shopping list, causing a confusion on their relevance to each other. The other, an attack on ‘Universal’ prefixed lines, a more zoomed out perspective on the ironies of ‘Universal’ in colloquial language.
“universal game, universal shame, universal this, universal that, universal CRAP”
The more post punk tracks follow on with ‘Fiat Ducato’ - a second-hand van dealership type of description detailing the realities of a crumbling van. This track is the epitome of the UK electronically-influenced post punk sound. It explores a humorous narrative on life’s big purchases under social constraints.
Next, ‘Dog Shampoo’, a downtempo, electronic, transcendent beat lathered over the true tale of using dog shampoo after running out of Head and Shoulders. Only Polite Bureaux can truly pick up on a moment like this over the most chin scratching instrumentals. “Bow wows” in the background muffled under the emotional guitar riffs and spirited backing vocals.
How can you not love these lot?
‘BANG BANG recycling bin’ follows with a rage filled rant targeted at northern suburban neighbourhoods. The playfulness of observing a world in plastic and sounds of clattering recycling bins. Thrashy. Angsty. DGAF attitude.
Track 9 and we reach the highlight of the album, ‘Dyslexic Cycling Proficiency’.
“Right is left, left is right. Ride, ride, ride. Where did you go to school? Disneyland?”
This songs shows the deep levels of artistry these guys have - audibly illustrating and reminiscing on cycling proficiency with a handed down bike. Take away Joe’s lyrics and you’ve still got a vivid picture of it all.
Fittingly this is time to appreciate Maya Lili and Viv Maher’s involvement in the project. Together they continuously tussle between gritty punky basslines versus elevations in electronic synthesised sounds. Each track is either dominated by one or balanced and they are responsible in giving the band an honest depth and breadth in sound. It is so easy to get sucked into Joe’s trademark lyricism but the project all comes together with this constantly testing balance between the three band members; exemplified perfectly on the crescendo of this track.
Rather grunge like, the band rages on with the title track of the album. A speech on struggles of being skint, hollering “commitment” and “circumstance” as the two determining factors giving those “no chance” in life.
Similar to ‘Dyslexic Cycling Proficiency’ and ‘Where do you come from’, the slow paced bleeps of ‘Respectable cul-de-sac’ liaise us listeners to the finale of the project. On the track, Joe Smith poetically strolls through, followed by a beautiful strings section. The juxtaposition of this musical divinity amongst all of the brutal, angst-driven commentaries is a true demonstration of the band’s success in portraying underrepresented voices in UK culture.
Keeping to the strings section, we reach the closing track ‘Local Town’. Joe’s utterings, the steady drum beats, winding piano and complete band setup on this rounds off another great success for the band. The project holds the same energy as films like ‘This is England’ or ‘Trainspotting’ yet without the need of visual engagement, Smith’s lyricism is enough. It is so outstandingly rare to come across tracks that keep you so invested, studying each word and reference to come out of Joe’s mouth.
In an age of people broadcasting what they want people to think they’re thinking, there’s a humility in showing what’s actually on our minds. Despite their frantic nature, Polite Bureaux sum up social commentary in a language we can all understand and communicate in, feeling like an indirect attack on the righteous left wing academics. Poetic, distinct and stoic, ‘EXCEPT YOUR SKiNT’ should be studied and appreciated as culturally iconic.
Written by Brandon Purmessur
Brandon is a music journalist in Bristol who enjoys writing as well as hosting radio shows and video interviews. Beyond music, he enjoys working with the community and learning about other cultures.
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