BILK: “GENRE DEFIANT, GENERALLY DEFIANT YET AN EXPLOSION OF INDIVIDUALITY”

ALBUM REVIEW | BILK – ESSEX DRUGS AND ROCK AND ROLL by Gracie Erskine

Bilk. A marmite name within the scene, gaining a huge cult following with an army of fans. Those whom which seem to guard the unprecedented calibre presumed of by the Essex rockers, against the totalitarian indie defendants that seem to loathe the trio. The band follow up their 2023 self-titled debut with an aptly named sophomore album ‘Essex, Drugs and Rock and Roll’. And without a doubt the album cannot resist the triplet.

Following on from the claims of lead singer Sol (Abrahams) as he protruded the self-inflicted fact of being “the only rock n roll band” left that seemed to enrage indie twitter, they kick off the track list with ‘RNR’.

Whilst the band may bid to be the next Oasis in attitude, they seem to play word games on ‘RNR’, positioning themselves as a ‘rock and roll star today’. It certainly boasts in angst, seemingly so if you don’t mind a bit of light plagiarism. Despite this, a smirk arises in the in the social commentary of the current music scene with ‘Music fakers, you ain’t artists, you’re just TikTok entertainers’– a brave applause to the band for presenting some truth within their anger.

With a quick jolt in perspective the tunnel-visioned trio seem to dive headfirst into what one could only suspect to be the mind of a teenage boy with ‘Slag’.

“It’s a purposeful title. I meant to do it like that on purpose because the record label actually wanted us to change the title of that song. They were like, maybe do it as ‘I’m a slag’, but it’s meant to raise eyebrows. It almost makes people in society question why they thought it was about a girl. If she’s a slag then I’m a slag.” – Sol

Putting the ‘sex’ into ‘Essex’, lead songwriter Sol delves into the social qualms we seem to have when discussing stereotypes and stigmas the genders seem to hold around sex. In the face of the modern world, the Essex troublemakers must embark on a moral awakening when questioning “why is it wrong for girls, but it’s okay for guys“. This venture for a redemption arc provides the surface level sex-gagged trio to reclaim their grace with an apprised attempt at subversion.

Where some of the band’s earlier work may invite questions of superficiality their sophomore crack seems to apply a solid argument the rule of pastiche. With hands behind the head one cannot fully slate the bands efforts by merely scrutinizing primary rhyming couplets written by hostile delinquents when such has been applauded with bands like the Sex Pistols.

The album summons a host of various influences for the listener to indulge in, ‘Summer Days’ strings a more ‘The Cure’ like new wave jangle, swapping fist fights for fun loving days out in June. A similar air of positivity carries through in the semi-ironic ‘Very Nice Life’, adopting a kind of ‘Boneheads Bank Holiday’, adlibbing a jollified respite to break up the lawless liberation of individuality the heavier tracks like ‘Go’ boast. A song mobbed with racing leads and one that lead singer, Sol, described exclusively to Northern Exposure, as the song that epitomises Bilk and their ethos.

‘Skidmark’ defies its abhorrent title by inducing a witty little number, filled with hate and disgust but also a fat giggle. A quick pitstop in the journey to chaos, it’s the kind of song that if you’d have lobbed a few comedic lines together at a house party when you were 15 and finished it off with “you’re a cunt, suck your mum” would have a living room full of cackling children. Unfortunately, it’s an ingenious little spit that has a smirk arising on the face of fully grown adults. At the bands big age, you would think it could only evoke a sigh, but you’d be lying if you said you didn’t giggle.

‘Turning Pages’ groups into this same little category of questioning the Bilk stigma, of being loudmouths with nothing to say.

“Turning Pages is a special one, not only to me, but also to Harry, the drummer in the band” shares Sol. “This was one of the last days in the studio, And I’m doing the vocal takes of it, and Harry’s a bit quiet, and he’s not normally quiet, so he’s normally quite jolly. And then he goes, ‘I’m going to go for a walk’. And then it was only a couple of weeks later, and we were at a festival, and Harry was a bit drunk, and he goes, ‘to tell you the truth, man, when I walked out, I cried. The song got to me so much, I felt like it was written for me. I related to it so much, and it just got overwhelming, and I got really emotional”.

It’s an introspective tootle, glazed with violins scrabbling over the universal passage of growing up. It’s aspect of seminal change configures it into the kind of piece that wouldn’t sound out of place on a coming-of-age A24 soundtrack.

“[If] It’s going to get people to cry. That means it’s a fucking banger. If it gets a reaction, it means it’s a good song.” – Sol

‘Essex, Drugs and Rock and Roll’ is the mature older brother to their underground and unruly debut. Granted, the band don’t shy from discussing the high and lows of being, well high and lows in ‘On It’. Then again, it had to be included to secure the sincerity of such a humorous and ear-pricking album title. Unfortunately, their more dynamic and radiant moments incur when they use their free-thinking minds, well to think. Their questioning scrambles induce their more musically stimulating junctures. ‘Band Life Blues’ is Johnny Cash-like storytelling, a whirlwind of how the band came to be. It’s reflective and honest, different and exciting and one, that if you’re still riding a hate-train, to glue your ears to.

The latest album is a certification of what Bilk can do; genre defiant, generally defiant yet an explosion of individuality. Distinguish what a rock and roll attitude boils down to and it is Bilk; whether you like it or not. Upon that, they’ve showcased their potential, different avenues and ventures that they should build upon- excursions down the narrow and winding baths of introspection and storytelling. Yes, its pastiche and ironic on paper- but it’s not on paper, it’s coming through your headphones and it’s coming through the speakers. It’s made to be played loud, so turn it up and get listening.