Sons of Racketeers thrills with a song that takes no prisoners when it comes to speakers. Their new single, "Beat The Press Gang," doubles as a history lesson, the teachings of church and state distilled into one explosive blast of a tune, tugging at the threads of yesteryear and weaving them tightly into our current, intricate life.
The song draws inspiration from the harsh tradition of the Old English Navy's press gang military parties dispatched to coerce unwilling men into service aboard ships when numbers were low. And if there's a reason why this particular theme strikes such a chord, it is because of how eerily close to the bone it still feels hundreds of years on, and young people the world over are still being dragged into wars they never asked for. In the hands of Sons of Racketeers crackles and kindles.
The track leans hard into its folk origins from the opening bars, earthy and intimate as if sung by sailors themselves on a moonlit dock. But that deceptive stillness is quickly shattered, guitars surge and sputter, percussion charges ahead, and the song turns into a storm of unhinged rock energy. As the listener starts cruising along, a surprise element in the middle twists it into something new, proving how adept this band is at keeping us on our toes with dynamic storytelling.
"Beat The Press Gang" is a battle cry against compulsion, a stand against being forced to submit to something that robs you of the freedom of choice. The urgent ghosts of history brought to life. Sons of Racketeers collide folk textures with searing rock, and the result isn't something you can ignore. On this release, the band insists once again that its infuriating music cannot sit quietly, it rises and confronts, demanding to be heard.