The Libertines - 'Oh Shit'
The Libertines are perhaps the most mythologised, provocative band of the 21st century. Now, the 00’s indie rockers return with raucous new single ‘Oh Shit’, the latest to be taken from their upcoming album ‘All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade’.
Following on from the anthemic ‘Run Run Run’, foreboding ‘Night Of The Hunter’, and atmospheric ‘Shiver’, ‘Oh Shit’ is a full-throttle sonic blast with an upbeat, singalong chorus, recalling fast-paced Libertines classics such as ‘I Get Along’ and ‘What Became of the Likely Lads’. Kicking off with a riff which nods to that of their signature song ‘Don’t Look Back into the Sun’, co-frontman Carl Barât- whose legendary songwriting partnership, and at times stormy friendship, with Pete Doherty lies at the heart of the Libertines long-lasting appeal- tells the story of Imo, who “loves the feeling of rolling in the sun/ Rolling in the ocean, she rolls until she’s numb”.
Over bright guitars and snappy drums, Barât deploys playful rhyme and wordplay as he describes a relationship which has seen better days: “Every moth to a candle finds a flame too hot to handle/ And Jamie broke down at Imo’s every scandal”, he drawls knowingly, perhaps well-aware that the line shares striking similarities with his and Doherty’s strained relationship circa 2004, when the band would break up due to Doherty’s drug use. Since then, they have reunited and released their well-received third album ‘Anthems For Doomed Youth’ in 2015, with the eagerly anticipated ‘All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade’ set for release on April 5th.
This newfound positivity comes through musically in the chorus, a fist-in-the-air earworm which make its troubling lyrics (“Our love is so sick, so sick/ Just takes a minute to obliterate a mind”) seem positively joyful. It also acknowledges today’s tough economic climate (“Let’s make some money/ Just enough to get us by”), but instead of dwelling in despair, the song finds a certain beauty in a bleak situation: “What’s it even matter/ You’re just young and in love”, sings Barat as a ‘God Save The Queen’ style solo swoops in, paying tribute to the Sex Pistols, a clear influence on much of the band's early work. Fellow 70s punks The Clash have also been a constant touchstone for The Libertines (their first two albums were produced by Mick Jones, after all) and ‘Oh Shit’ is no exception, its punchy power-chords very much in the same vein as early Clash material.
However, the song owes more to indie than punk; specifically Jamie T, a giant of the genre who co-wrote the track. It’s no surprise, then, that the song- and particularly the ’Oh shit, oh shit’ hook of the chorus- closely resembles Jamie’s indie classic ‘Zombie’, which can only be a good thing. It's safe to say fans can expect some rowdy mosh pits and drunken singalongs when the band play ‘Oh Shit’ live on their UK tour this Autumn.
The Albion remains on course.
Words by Ben Left
