Cowtown - ‘Total Engagement’
‘Total Engagement’ is a beachy, drum-bouncing track with a joyfully 90s aesthetic, neatly slotted into two fly-by minutes.
I don’t think it’s daring to say that Cowtown are the most vibrant and innovative band to emerge since the dizzy days of Cool Britannia. While the track ‘Total Engagement’ is pervaded by a definite 90s energy, Cowtown’s lyricism grounds it very much in the modern sphere, as they tackle contemporary issues regarding technology (which is particularly relevant in this current swell of techno-fear). The lyrics are subversive, however, as they explore the emotional response of a machine and its frustration in having to live by the data it is fed: “No cards to play right / No mind of my own”. They afford the machine the equivalent psyche and complexity of a human being. This gives Cowtown a unique edge that is of both social and cultural importance – an edge that will certainly entice those sick to death of the same old 21st century pop formats.
Nash’s catchy guitar riff is in splendid conversation with Shields’ foot-tapping, almost cinematic drumwork that lifts the song into a realm of creative confidence. Cowtown’s music strikes a delicate yet firmly-accomplished balance between the record-churning mainstream and its disconnected counterpart, appealing to a vast landscape of music listeners, from serial pop streamers to underground indie lovers.
The accompanying music video for ‘Total Engagement’ is designed like your typical bleeping 80s video game. We are shown the disembodied components of the track, offering an insight into how Knott’s keys, Nash’s guitar, and Shields’ beats work in balletic harmony together, encouraging us to head-bop and table-tap our way through the too-short two minutes Cowtown provides us with.
Cowtown are a band of best mates, crafting tracks with the much-needed sincerity that popular music aches for. ‘Total Engagement’ is a sliver of their about-to-be-released LP ‘Fear Of…’, which hits the shelves on May 31st (Gringo Records). Celebrate the arrival of summer in style, with this brilliant, nostalgia-blasting band!
Words by Charlie Jolley
