The Bandcamp release bio for this superb new The Spanish Amanda EP expresses the disdain of it’s lyrics far more adroitly than this amateur bloggy type hack could ever wish to proffer with the words:

As Bill Pritchard memorably sang, “sometimes it’s better to be bitter…”. A point well made, Mr P… and apologies if ‘Money…’ turns out to be a mite too astringent for some tastes. It’s just how we’re feeling right now (bad government, bad environment, bad role models, bad times…).

The “it’s just how we’re feeling right now” epithet is perhaps a tad glib considering they have never been shy of lambasting the government, or the stupid, and never deny that the two can be inextricably linked.

As such the opening track of All of Your Reasons Are Wrong (which from a sheer tune perspective could well be their finest track yet) grabs hold of the most fragile of 80s anglophile jangly indie-pop and directs barely concealed arrows at yet another politician that is so out of touch with the populace (the reference to town names and the everyday minutiae of the ‘normals’ emphasizes this) that his ‘Westminster debacle’ or yet another scandal has led to another politician resigning or succumbing to cancel culture.

Tracey Is Disgusted With Education continues the jangle, albeit this time with a heavy melancholy and dulcet tone that is reminiscent of the Johny NoCash or Sandra’s Wedding aesthetic, and indeed the portrayal of ‘out of touch politicians’ with a first verse that eloquently summates the hypocrisy of most politicians as the “Pinot Grigio” quaffing (verse 3) Tracey tries to outdo the public school-educated Simon in just how much they are worried about the state of a state education system that neither of them have ever gone to or will ever send their kids to:

Tracey is disgusted with education,

Simon is disgusted too,

Education stares at its fingernails

Education stands accused

Tracey is gifted with ineffable insight

– She’s the oracle of Liverpool..!

Simon has a self-assured manner

He went to a rather good school.

The dulcet jangle takes center stage once more in Can’t Bear You (Trying to be Kind) as the puerility of the British Government is played out to a Romeo and Juliet backdrop as the parties are seen to ‘bite thumbs’ at each other (the Shakespearean version of the childish one finger salute) as the repetition of “So a plague on both those houses, Johnny!” that heralds each new verse indicates the perception of how society tends to see both the main British parties.

The final Money Makes You Stupid track is the most doleful and perhaps the most cryptic. However, the title, accompanied by verses such as…

And you could be a little less forgiving of yourself,,

Mild self-flagellation may do wonders for your health

Ouch!

And the following:

You could be a little less forgiving of your kids,

They’re no longer children, momma, they know what they did

And you should be a little less forgiving of your boss

He’ll appreciate the view when he’s nailed to his cross

seems to connect the dots between the attitudes of the privileged politicians and their chummies that live in the same social strata and their lack of concern about anyone else that they they happily propagate.

The Spanish Amanda and especially this wonderful Money Makes You Stupid EP provide everything I need in a release. Jangle-pop and snidey lyrical spite and bile. What more could anyone want?

OUR FAVOURITES

SOCIAL MEDIA

TWITTER

FULL RELEASE