Bloc Party share new single ‘Flirting Again’
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(Credits: Far Out / Emily Marcovecchio)
Bloc Party are back with their brand new single ‘Flirting Again’. The song comes just weeks before their biggest-ever headline show at Crystal Palace Park and days before their appearance at Glastonbury, with the ambition of heightening excitement ahead of a busy summer.
They seem to have defied the test of time. Their debut album, Silent Alarm, was received with acclaim from fans and critics everywhere. The band used off-kilter time signatures, unpredictability, emotive vocals, and instrumentation to create a piece of music that had never been heard before. This album continues to find new fanbases, and it is currently doing the rounds once again as the TikTok generation discovers the band.
This means that the band has managed to grow in popularity without relying on their new music to spread the message. With their new single, ‘Flirting Again,’ the band continues on this trajectory, as the song is a haphazard mix of tones and styles that are less charming and more jarring than their earlier work.
“[It’s] about being thrust back into the [dating] scene and trying to remember how it all works,” explained Kele Okereke.
The frontman continued: “It’s about trying to appear desirable whilst at the same time hiding the hurt that defines you. We are all carrying around the various scars that we have accumulated over the years, the heartbreaks that have come to shape how we give love and receive love. This song is about picking yourself up and carrying on.”
Despite the deep and sweet sentiment, it manifests in lyrics such as: “Sprinkling my love over SW4”. The song is designed to make people dance and catch them off guard, but it comes across as a failed attempt at experimentation. The overall quality of the track leaves a little to be desired, and anything that’s designed to be catchy leaves your head the moment the song finishes.
Nevertheless, Bloc Party have enough classic tracks in their arsenal that will make sure their set on The Other Stage at Glastonbury on June 29th is a must-see. Hits like ‘Helicopter’ and ‘Banquet’ will undoubtedly send the crowd into hysteria as they allow themselves to get soaked up in nostalgia, but ‘Flirting Again’ is unlikely to provoke the same feelings of euphoria in Pilton.
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