A little over one year after the release of their latest album Datura, Boston Manor are back with new music: ‘Container’ marks a shift from their previous works, as it leaves the darker notes of Datura behind and explores more optimistic lyrics.
A change of scenery might’ve helped with that new direction they’re heading into, lead guitarist Mike Cunniff admits; as the track was recorded in the lush countryside instead of the usual hustle and bustle of a busy London studio, due to the band’s long-time producer Larry Hibbitt now living out in the countryside. “It was a way different environment and way different experience recording this time”, Cunniff says.
‘Container’ deals with second chances and the anxiety of changes yet paints a powerful and hopeful soundscape. According to lead singer Henry Cox, it’s meant to be a “purposeful about-turn from the darkness”, and one can definitely hear that behind the heavy, screechy guitar sounds as he belts out reflective lyrics such as ‘So run to the back door, run ’til you’re new/ And pull that loose thread that’s been bothering you / Don’t turn around and look away whatever you do’. “Container explores the idea of second chances, the panic that sets in knowing you need to change your world before it’s too late and you get swallowed up and lost forever”, the frontman explains. “It’s about the stagnancy of life creeping up on you and how that can bring about change.” And change is not always a bad thing, as the song points out. Sometimes it’s the change that’s getting you out of a bad place – ‘No oxygen in the ceiling / Nothing that’s left to believe in now’ – and into a promising new world of what might could be – ‘Show me what you’re made of / Show me who you are’.
‘Container’ has catchy lyrics and a groovy beat, a track to scream in the loneliness of your bedroom or the middle of a mosh pit in a sticky, sweat-induced air at a packed venue. It shows a lightness compared to Boston Manor’s latest album ‘Datura’, which indicates that the Blackpool band might’ve reached the other end of the tunnel where a bright new world awaits the new direction they’re going in.
Fans who’re interested in experiencing the style Boston Manor seems to be going for, are in for a treat, as the band is gearing up for a UK tour in April, with various festival appearances across Europe following behind.
Written by: Svenja Nowak
Edited by: Ilse Muis
