Words: Sam Geary
Prior to his shows at SXSW, Sam Fender drops his first new music of 2019, with single 'Hypersonic Missiles'.
Premiered last night (March 5) as Annie Mac's Hottest Record on her BBC Radio 1 show, it is a song that steers close to the 24-year-old singer-singwriter from North Shields' oeuvre for impassioned observations about the state of the world around us, commenting on apathy in the face of self-destruction. Whilst we all see the frightening daily political mismanagement being played out across the globe, most of us remain helpless and confused to our own plight, watching quietly for what comes next. It’s a message assuredly delivered with Sam’s colossal rasp, and typically wrapped in melody atop of melody.
“This song started out when I saw the term ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ in a newspaper," he says. "It’s a newly developed Russian missile that travels at something like nine times the speed of sound, which is essentially unstoppable. America currently has no defence against such a weapon, they would be helpless in the wake of an attack, as you have roughly six minutes from the time it is launched to the time it strikes.
“In many ways, 'Hypersonic Missiles' is an unorthodox love song. Its main focus is on the world around the narrator, who is a complete tin foil hatter. They are convinced the world is on its last legs; they know that it is rife with injustice but feel completely helpless and lacking the necessary intelligence to change it while remaining hopelessly addicted to the fruits of consumerism.
“Amongst all the chaos is love and celebration, there is this glimmer of hope that runs through the song, a little notion that no matter what happens, these two people are gonna have a fucking good time regardless of the tyrants that run their world, and regardless of the imminent doom from these ‘Hypersonic Missiles’.
Listen below.
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