Fear Fear
Songs created in the shadow of terror and loss, but that crackle and pop with defiance Fear Fear is a record made for agitating and dancing, for heart and soul, for here, now and tomorrow. It’s a record that explores juxtaposition; that of life and death, acceptance and isolation, environment and humanity, hope and despair, the real world and the digital world. That top to bottom rigour, the complete vision is what makes the second album from Working Men’s Club such a stunning and unique achievement. Their critically acclaimed self-titled debut album, released in summer 2020, was the sound of singer and songwriter Syd Minsky-Sargeant processing a teenage life in Todmorden in the Upper Calder Valley. He was 16 when he wrote some of those songs, now 20, he had to get up and out of the Valley. “The first album was mostly a personal documentation lyrically, this is a blur between personal and a third-person perspective of what was going on.” Fear Fear documents the last two years. Yes, there is bleakness – but there is also hope and empathy. “I like the contrast of it being happy, uplifting music and really dark lyrics. It’s not a minimal record, certainly compared to the first one. That’s because there’s been a lot more going on that needed to be said.” Making the busy feel finessed and the dreadful feel magical – Fear Fear manages those feats, and then some. Or, as Syd Minksy-Sargeant puts it: “We just set out to make the best-sounding album we could.”
Their debut presciently dissected an isolating upbringing and their sinister second album revisits those emotions for a wider audience
Working Men's Club drop the pop and let the dark in on gripping second album Fear Fear
WMC already have a signature viewpoint all of their own - the fun is in seeing how they continue to play with it.
AllMusic provides comprehensive music info including reviews and biographies. Get recommendations for new music to listen to, stream or own.
Working Men's Club's latest is an acutely refined album fuelled by energy and agitation from a group way ahead of their age.
Working Men’s Club are no strangers to a release beneath the shadows of lockdown. Their widely acclaimed, frenetic self-titled debut, released in October
Slightly less aggy, no less exciting, Working Men's Club are back. Fear Fear is an accomplished follow-up to their cocksure debut