The distinctive lyricist has teamed up again with London vocalist JGrrey (who he previously collaborated with on his previous single, ‘Allbarone’) to release an onslaught of hatred upon his fellow public - from their gold lapels, to their signet rings, to their slippy knees.
Never one to mince his words, Baxter Dury has remained true to form. “You’re just a bunch of soul fuckers / you total cunts” is just one line from the very beginning of his latest single, and the vitriol only continues. Described by Dury himself as “an abstract subconscious rant, criticising anyone that is from Shoreditch or thereabouts, from my ivory tower in west London”, ‘Return of the Sharp Heads’ is a scathing monologue delivered in his signature flat cadence, taking aim at at those around him and hitting nuke. We are alleviated momentarily by his dour commentary by JGrrey’s lighter, more feminine chorus - another trademark of a Dury track - but the (admittedly often hilarious) venom comes quickly seeping back in. And yet, amidst all its disdain, the track is a toe-tapper; accompanied by a strong beat and groovy bass, ‘Return of the Sharp Heads’ is almost impossible not to enjoy, except perhaps for those in his target range, and will absolutely prove popular.
Ironically, Dury acknowledges that he cannot exclude himself from his own critique; regarding his barrage of observational insults he says: “in that process emerges my own character. It doesn’t always make sense but it makes sense to me.” Dury’s dry self-reflection and complication of character in his music is always refreshing (“Love me!” he even suddenly cries in this track, supposedly to the very people he so despises), and his razor-sharp wit and crude attention to detail is absolutely highlighted here.
If 'Return of the Sharp Heads' is anything to go by, we should expect to see a lot more of this lack of faith in the general public on his album ‘Allbarone’.
Megan FitzGerald
Image: ‘Return of the Sharp Heads’ Official Single Cover
