‘LIQUORICE’ THAT STICKS IN YOUR HEAD, NOT YOUR TEETH: NEW SINGLE BY BONE-IDLE

SINGLE REVIEW | BONE-IDLE – LIQUORICE by Jasmin Savage

There’s a common misconception that ‘rock music is dead’. People who believe this must be living under a rock (pun intended), or maybe they just don’t know where to look…

Indie rock band based in Reading, Bone-Idle, combine grunge angst and heavy rock components to bring us their first single of the year – and first track since July 2025 –  ‘Liquorice’. Hypothetically, if rock music ever was dead, then this new tune has definitely revived it.

‘Liquorice’ comes straight in with a rumbling bassline; shortly followed by a chiming guitar riff and gritty vocals; that gives the song a slight ‘shoegaze’ tinge – although, it is certainly more grunge or hard rock sounding overall. The drums make their presence known by the first chorus, shifting the song from a sense of resentment to bursting with anger. With each new component introduced, I find myself more and more hooked.

Around three minutes in, there’s this striking, distorted – and ever so slightly psychedelic – guitar solo that scratches my brain just right, before bringing it back with an impactful final chorus. By the end of the song, I have already pressed play again, the sounds lingering in my brain like liquorice sticks to your teeth.

The intrinsic lyrics and rough vocals on this track tell a tale of frustration and bitterness towards the world. Frontman, Braidan Casey – knowing that these things are out of his control – channels an anger that seems to come close to spiralling out of control. When speaking on the new single, Casey explains:

“Liquorice is a song or actually more of a letter to all the things I can’t deal with and have little patience for. It’s like stubbing your toe and wanting to beat the life out of the side of your bed, or slow walkers on a high street when you need to catch a train. It’s about all the annoying little things in life that infuriate me but the anger is always coming from something more complicated. Some people and things aren’t the way I’d like them to be, this song just reflects on my difficulty to accept that they never will be.”

Let’s get real for a second. Anger is a completely human and natural bodily response to stressors. Sure, you could try and pretend it’s not there, but – if left unmanaged – these things will slowly leave a bitter stain in your mouth like liquorice. This song is a reflection of that darkness sticking with you. The lyrics: “Want your pain/To feel as I hope in my brain/Want your face/To change with each sour taste” reinforce Casey’s pettiness and inability to accept that he cannot control the world around him. ‘Liquorice’ is honest, raw, edgy. None of that clean-cut bullshit. Not what they think we want to hear, but an expression of rage fueled hard rock.

Taking inspiration from bands such as The Smashing Pumpkins, Royal Blood, and Reading’s own The Amazons; and with modern grunge-inspired artists like Wunderhorse and Keo on the rise; Bone-Idle are heading the right way to becoming the next big thing we need to solidify that rock music is thriving.

Recognised as a Best Breakthrough Artist by Radio Wigwam, the station awarded Bone-Idle with a recording session for their new single ‘Liquorice’. Produced with Michael Smith, this single sets the mark for what modern indie rock bands can achieve when given the opportunity to do so.

BONE-IDLE – LIQUORICE: OUT NOW. Listen here

See Bone-Idle supporting The Strand this Saturday (4th July) in London: tickets here

Join their mailing list for updates and future tours: here

About the Author

Jasmin Savage

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