Just two months after their latest release, Boy Bleach are back with yet another banger called ‘Sun Cream’, which was released on August 16th 2024. After teasing new music since the band came back from their little break earlier this year, loads of fans are really excited to have another song out, and maybe they will even have the long awaited EP out soon… who knows?
‘Sun Cream’ touches on the same sound the band has established over the last year. It is heavily influenced by the early brit-pop-rock scene and still sounds like something completely new. The song starts off rather chill, up until the second half of the first verse. Singer Louis then switches to almost screaming the lyrics, which gives the song this special something that every Boy Bleach song has. That little passage comes back during every verse, switching the whole vibe of the song up and making it much more upbeat and vibey.
Considering the lyrics, the song deals with a socially critical topic, just like the band has touched on in their previous releases, and criticises the payment situation in the UK and how that translates to one’s feelings about life. In the first verse it says “Long days, need a holiday, […] need a raise for the rays but I’ve only got a tenner to my name“ which lets the audience understand that it’s hard to have a nice break from working too many hours, because the pay is simply not enough.
The band has been criticising social standards and norms in their last couple of songs for a while now and ‘Sun Cream’ connects right there and continues this main theme. Singing “I thought that I was blossoming, but now I’m starting from the bottom and going through the same old shit just to prove that I am competent“ spells out the problem of simply going through the motions because you have to – but it either does not make you happy, it doesn’t pay nearly enough, or even both. In the last pre-chorus, lyrics “Only so much heat you can take, you tried, caught a break, now you’re back to shitty pay and the long days […]“ summarise the whole theme of the song.
I might be biased, but if you have a couple of minutes today you should definitely give this song a go, and maybe even the rest of Boy Bleach’s discography.
Written by: Lara Thissen
Edited by: Nèri Cliteur
