A wiry, angular bassline drives the verses as Gen delivers each line with a sultry, sardonic swagger, before the bass hands over to big, scratchy distorted guitars for a shoutier, instantly catchy indie-rock chorus. Co-written with The Wombats’ Dan Haggis, there’s something of that band’s knack for a killer hook here, albeit delivered with a much rawer edge. A contrasting middle eight strips everything back to synths and Gen’s voice, briefly pulling the track into stranger art-punk territory before one final chorus crashes back in.

It’s playful without becoming novelty and sexy without losing sight of the joke, allowing Gen to perform the larger-than-life persona while simultaneously poking holes in it. Turns out the internet might get the swagger, but real life gets the charity-shop doo dads. Frankly, that sounds like the better deal.

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Entering a new era with a refreshed lineup, Gen and the Degenerates return with Earthly Delights  — produced by Michael Champion (Wet Leg, Swim School) and Paul Whalley (The Wanted, Louis Tomlinson), and their most ambitious and fully realised project yet. Blending sharp wit with emotional honesty, the album unpacks identity, grief, sexuality and the chaos of modern life. A more cohesive yet expansive evolution of their sound, it’s a caustic, absurd soundtrack to strange times — never without joy or defiance.

The band states that they took their album title from a 500-year-old painting, ‘The Garden of Earthy Delights’ by Hieronymus Bosch. “This album isn’t about anything new. It’s about the same things humans have always made art about; sex and death and love and power.”

The album is about this moment in history, through concepts and contradictions that are timeless and internal; there’s no grief without love, there’s no joy in life without knowing it ends. Sex and death. Earthly Delights.

“People make strange assumptions about my personality and morality based on my body.” states vocalist Genevieve Glynn-Reeves on the latest single. “They think because I’m overtly feminine and curvy that I must be flirtatious or highly sexual when in reality it’s them who are sexualising something that I have no control over. I can wear the same exact outfit as a very slender person and be perceived totally differently in it. I’m pointing out the hypocrisy and taking a tongue in cheek look at what society expects me to be.”

Expanding on the song’s narrative, Glynn-Reeves also reflects on the ways marginalised bodies are simultaneously stigmatised and fetishised.

“There is also a point to be made about the fetishisation of oppressed bodies. I’m speaking from my own experience with fatphobia where the same traits that I’m shamed for societally I am also fetishised for. Fatphobia is rooted in racism and women of colour are constantly fetishised by the same society that is structured around their oppression. I also know that porn searches for categories that feature older women actually outweigh those for younger women who fit more neatly into the traditional male gaze. Yet, as women age, they are told their value is depreciating. I have never met a woman who has gotten less interesting and potent as she got older honestly. I can’t speak to all of these experiences personally and chose to focus very much on my own lived experience but I hope it can resonate widely nonetheless. This song is both an analysis of this phenomenon, and a rejection of it.”

They share that the track became an instant favourite upon creation. “It came about very suddenly, me and Sean were driving home from somewhere, and I started singing the hook. I got him to voice-note it while I drove, and then when we got home we spent the evening writing the rest, arranging it in Ableton. The whole thing came out like word vomit, for both of us. That was the moment, more than any other, that we knew we had something special with the album. As a result, it’s a favourite for all of us.”

Earthly Delights:

1. I Used To Be Charming
2. Hotter On The Internet
3. Rich Boyfriend
4. It’s A Lot
5. It Can Always Get Worse
6. Party At The End Of The Universe
7. Favourite Jumper
8. Sex Symbol
9. We Should Do This Again Sometime
10. Honey You’re Still In The Game

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‘Favourite Jumper’, produced by Michael Champion (Wet Leg, Swim School) and Paul Whalley (The Wanted, Louis Tomlinson) was born out of frustration. The expectations placed on women to be pure, agreeable, and quiet remain ever present, especially against the backdrop of rising right-wing political discourse across the nation. Gen and the Degenerates stand firmly against those outdated notions.

“Whenever the right wing is on the rise there is this puritanical pressure placed on women to be virtuous. Women are villanised for being overtly sexual and treated as if they don’t have agency or control over their own bodies.” States vocalist Genevieve Glynn-Reeves.

The track additionally speaks to bisexual identity erasure, challenging the persistent idea that queerness can be diluted or unvalidated depending on the gender of a partner.

“We see this reflected in rhetoric around bisexual women settling down with men and almost relinquishing their queerness to try and feel safer. I think this is the perfect time to rebel against that and be as slutty and queer as possible. And so this is really just a fun party song of sorts, from the point of view of a bisexual person (guess what – it’s me), discussing previous experiences in a fun way, but also attempting to reconcile an honest and healthy relationship with a partner, with the totality of that sexuality and sexual history.”

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Inspired by personal loss and collective struggles with mental health and resilience, Gen and co have faced numerous highs and lows since the release of their critically acclaimed debut album ANTI-FUN PROPAGANDA. Collaborating with celebrated producer-engineer Tarek Musa (Circa Waves, Nova Twins, Gengar), their latest track, ‘Wahoo,’ embodies an amalgamation of triumph, conflict, and catharsis. The song also marks the beginning of a new era for the band, as two members depart.

“…It was written in the immediate aftermath of the loss of a close childhood friend”, shares vocalist Genevieve Glynn-Reeves. “It’s a rant, or a kind of unhinged monologue, about those times when you try to speed-run through grief, or any difficult feelings, like you’re trying to ‘complete’ them, to get back to normal. The song also functions as a part of that process, trying to get feelings out as quickly as possible and translate them into something fun.

“It felt appropriate to put this track out now, especially with two of our members leaving, for reasons related to mental health. This song marks a brand-new era for us. People can expect a new sound, but with the same Degenerates spirit. Obviously, as a friend, it’s been a difficult transition. Jay and Jake’s leaving has been another kind of grief; however, the drastic shift has been invigorating in its own way.

“Myself, Sean and Evan are more dedicated to, and excited about, the journey of this band than we ever have been, and as an artist, I feel like the loss has left more space for us to grow and create new and interesting paths to follow and see where they go.”

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Following the announcement of their striking debut album, ANTI-FUN PROPAGANDA (set for release on February 23 via Marshall Records), alt-punk collective Gen and the Degenerates reveal their latest offering in the form of ‘KIDS WANNA DANCE,’ a spiralling, dystopian anthem for the disenfranchised. Speaking on the themes of their new single, vocalist Genevieve Glynn-Reeves (she/they) comments: “This song is about trying to reconcile the knowledge that the future of our world is very uncertain, getting up each day and trying to build a life for ourselves. Beyond that, we all want to find a way to make those lives enjoyable. Not only is the quality of life getting lower, but our politics and economy are volatile; we have to ask ourselves questions like ‘Is it even ethical to have children?’ because of the state that previous generations have left the planet in. It seems that if people want to spend all their time making stupid videos on TikTok or spend all their money frivolously, then why shouldn’t they? There are no stable careers, and they won’t be able to afford a house anyway. We all need to find the joy we can and each our way of dancing through the end times.”

Any Other, the project of Italian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Adele Altro (they / them), has shared their new single ‘If I Don’t Care’. The track, a rousing ode to letting go of anger, is the final cut to be shared from their forthcoming third album, stillness, stop: you have a right to remember which is due out on January 26 via 42 Records. Of their new single, Adele says: “This song is about me learning to let go of things that make me angry – both personal and societal stuff. It’s reasonable to be angry about inequalities, but at some point you need to distance yourself from that stuff just a little, otherwise it will impact your mental health in an even more negative way. I’m still learning how to do that!” Together with the new single, Any Other is releasing a video for ‘If I don’t care’, produced by EDERA (Milano) and directed by Giulio Rasi, with art direction by Cecilia Grandi. “When emotions arise they can manifest in different forms and colours – learning to understand and recognise them is not always an easy task. In the video for ‘If I don’t care’, half way between a dream and a mythological tale, the difficulty of controlling one’s emotions is narrated, and how sometimes the only thing we can do is stop resisting them and let them flow through us,” says Grandi.

Dora Paphides directs a playful gothic fantasy for Ella Eyre‘s comeback video, featuring Tiggs Da Author. The promo for ‘Head In The Ground’ features Ella in her girly bedroom – which happens to be six feet under. Up above in the Beetlejuice-style graveyard, Tiggs arrives you encourage Ella to step up from her resting place and enter the real world, reflecting the song’s theme that she’s ready to make up for past mistakes. Anchored by lively performances and complete commitment to the visual world – composed by production designer Sasha Hilton – it’s a standout concept with confident direction from Paphides, following up from up recent co-directing outings with Harv Frost for The Last Dinner Party and Chinchilla. [via PromoNews]

This week sees the return of raw and honest storyteller Jess Locke with the announcement of her fourth album, Real Life, out on May 3, through Dot Dash / Remote Control Records. The celebrated Melbourne/Naarm-based songwriter shares a sample of the long play that explores mortality with ‘Uncomfortably Happy.’ Setting the tone for the forthcoming album, ‘Uncomfortably Happy,’ says it all in the title. Backed by fuzzy guitars and swelling synths, Locke questions the temporary aspect of living. The buoyant chorus attempts to sweep these anxieties and overanalyses away – a celebration of chaos and letting go of control, of failure even, because all of it is just temporary. Locke admits, “It’s something I write about a lot, maybe because I am still trying to become comfortable with the idea that life is temporary and meaningless and that’s a good thing.” [via v13]

Ariana Grande has returned with her first solo single and video since 2020 ‘Yes, And?’. In the short, she stages a performance for a crowd of snooty critics, inevitably winning them over in party-starting fashion; it is inspired by Paula Abdul’s 1988 music video for ‘Cold Hearted,’ as Variety notes. Check out the Christian Breslauer–directed video below. [via Pitchfork]

LØLØ has released a new single that sadly pokes fun at us and our skinny jeans-wearing ways. Waaaah… A track about a toxic relationship, the excellent ‘2 of us’ opens with the line, ‘You still wear skinny jeans and that should have been my first sign,’ and addresses some of the challenges of cutting things off with someone, even when you know it’s the wrong person. “I wrote ‘2 of us’ at a time where I felt very dumb,” LØLØ explains. “I couldn’t shake someone who was terrible for me. I thought they were being so thoughtless and stupid, but then I realised I was being just as stupid for even giving them the time of day. “P.S.,” she adds, “I’m sorry to my fellow emos who will be offended by the skinny jeans line… it was just a really good diss, okay? I felt very sassy while writing this one, so a couple of the lines are pretty funny lol.” [via Kerrang!]

BRIT-nominated South London singer-songwriter Lola Young shares her gritty new single, ‘Wish You Were Dead’ via Day One / Island Records. ‘Wish You Were Dead’ details a toxic relationship and overflows with Lola’s sharp, honest storytelling and dynamic vocal performance.

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Ever since Genevieve Glynn-Reeves was a child, she had an overwhelming awareness of how difficult it is to be a human. There’s infinite possibility, after all, in this life for disaster, tragedy and misfortune. Switch on the news, and it’s all there in front of you – war, crime, climate change, economic upheaval, more than enough to make you think that to be alive is to struggle constantly.

What do you do when it feels like the world is crumbling around you? For Gen and the Degenerates, the answer is to have fun. “I don’t want to shy away from the darkness of being a human,” explains vocalist Gen (whose pronouns are she/they). “But by that merit, I don’t want to be fully consumed by it and forget to have fun and be silly and make light of it. I think it’s important to have these difficult conversations with a sense of lightness and humour.”

Through this lens, the band’s enthralling debut album ANTI-FUN PROPAGANDA was born. A writhing mass of biting, off-kilter guitars, fuzzed-out driving basslines, and blown-out drums. The album carries all the grit and cross-pollination of hip-shaking desert rock with New York punk at a violent disco while retaining an undeniably British disposition.

Recorded and produced by the infamous Ross Orton (Arctic Monkeys, Amyl and the Sniffers, Drenge, Gang of Four), the album is a coming-of-age story seeing the band as both a tightly knit unit and as individuals, find out who they are, and what they stand for. Late nights and early mornings, sexuality, gender politics and mortality, all while surviving your twenties in a volatile and confusing world fuelled by turmoil.

Speaking on their latest single ‘Famous’ Gen says, “It’s kind of a poison pill disguised as a pop confection. It’s taking a satirical look at celebrity culture, materialism, and where we draw our self-worth from, but it’s masquerading as a sexy, unrequited love song. That’s how it began life, but we reworked the music with Ross towards a darker place, and the lyrics took a more sarcastic and satirical turn…”

ANTI-FUN PROPAGANDA:

1. Kids Wanna Dance
2. Girls! Ft. Uninvited
3. Anti-Fun Propaganda
4. That’s Enough Internet For Today
5. All Figured Out
6. Plan B (Interlude)
7. Famous
8. BIG HIT SINGLE
9. Post-Cool
10. Jude’s Song

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The band’s latest offering takes “corporeal form” as a loving middle finger directed at their record label. The single was spawned by asking the band to “write another track like the song that did well,” with the resulting tongue-in-cheek, punk-rock melee proving to be decidedly catchy.

Recorded and produced by the infamous ROSS ORTON (Arctic Monkeys, Amyl and the Sniffers, Drenge, Gang of Four,) the track is packed with off-kilter guitars, fuzzed-out driving basslines and hip-shaking, blown out drums that paint pictures of a violent disco.

Speaking on their new single, vocalist Genevieve Glynn-Reeves comments: “If you want the highbrow answer, then ‘BIG HIT SINGLE’ is about the experience of creating art under late capitalism. If you want the lowbrow –and slightly more honest– answer, then ‘BIG HIT SINGLE’ is me trying to wind up our label.

“They’d made quite a reasonable request…‘Please can you write more songs like the song that did well and stop experimenting with every genre under the sun in a completely chaotic and hedonistic manner?’ Unfortunately, I have issues with authority… My parents often regale me with the tale of my Year 4 parent’s evening, in which my teacher described me as ‘too wild, in the bohemian sense.’

“If Mrs Baker couldn’t get me to behave, then what chance did Marshall Records have? Luckily, they have a good sense of humour over at Marshall.”

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