'"Soldiers" is a story of a hopeless war near the end of human civilization. A war to end all wars, and everything else surrounding it. Mindless soldiers spread across the land fighting to just stay alive for a cause that nobody knows. They are broken and nothing can fix them.'
This is how Australian trio Rat & Co describe their new release. "Soldiers" is a track layered with complexity; percussive and melodic elements form a musical soundscape that oozes with textures while simultaneously sounding disconnected and sparse.
The emotive lyrics – “All these minds / Are broken / Into space and oceans /All these minds are blinded by emotion” – are intricately woven in ethereal and airy tones by Australian singer Liahona. At times, the vocals are indistinct, creating the unsettling yet compelling sensation that Liahona’s desperately trying to communicate a message but is struggling to do so, weighed down and exhausted by the emotional demands of her surrounding environment.
The sparse intro that crackles with unintelligible radio samples is soon swallowed by a relentless beat that drives the track forward, marching steady and unyielding beneath increasing layers of weighty pads and rippling synths. At the track’s conclusion we’re left adrift in an extended outro, a wasteland of shuddering synthesisers and warped tones that sound eerily reminiscent of distant aircraft.
"Soldiers" is an excerpt from Rat & Co’s upcoming new album, Third Law, which is due for release on August 25, 2017.
SIMILAR SONGS
