UK indie punk band, The Subways, has just released an official Art-Deco-inspired video for their new single “Black Wax” off their upcoming fifth studio album Uncertain Joys, set for release on January 13, 2023. Featuring a live performance by The Subways and a skilled dancer dressed and adorned in a fashion reminiscent of a 1920s flapper, The Subways’ “Black Wax” is a love letter to music and to history decked out in a 1920s mood through the song’s frequent references to music artists such as Shirley Manson, Fiona Apple, and Smokey, and its allusions likening music, and its loneliness-debasing qualities, to an all-mighty God: “When I hear your heavenly voice, I believe in God/ God is nothing to the melody your falsetto brings/ When I’m lonely, always lonely, it’s everything.”
When asked to comment on the video, Frontman Billy Lunn himself discussed his inspiration for the integration of Art-Deco and 1920s details into this song’s official video: “I’ve always been in love with Art Deco, and I felt like ‘Black Wax’ would be the perfect song with which to indulge this love, with the song’s constant references to the history of music, and some of our favorite artists and performers of the twentieth century.”
“The song itself is about gratitude for music, particularly the process of setting a record player going and hearing the abundance of sound that follows from such a device. So much joy from such humble origins. Appreciation for the physical format of the vinyl record has increased dramatically these last few years, so it felt natural to include elements like the gramophone.”
“We also wanted to take the opportunity to dress up in costume from the Roaring 20s era. I’m personally not one for dressing up (in fact, I tend to strip off for live gigs), so it was quite thrilling to step back into the past with all the period-appropriate clothes and make-up, especially in the beautiful Art Deco setting of the New Mills Art Theatre in Yorkshire, which the production team did a brilliant job of seeking out and shooting.”
Check out this article for more information on The Subways’ newest single, “Black Wax. The Subways also recently shared an 8-bit animated video for “Love Waiting On You” & released the B-side track “Sign of Scorpio” from the band’s forthcoming album Uncertain Joys.
Leave a Comment