BLACKLISTERS SHARE "WHY DENY IT?" SINGLE VIA DECIBEL MAGAZINE

Posted on November 1st, 2022

[as seen on Decibel Magazine]

Leeds post-punkers Blacklisters offer their own take on headbanging with their new single, “Why Deny It?” This isn’t about horns-in-the-air, neck-snapping headbanging, though. It’s more like banging your head against a wall in frustration, a la Charlie Brown. The abrasive/snarky quartet—Billy Mason-Wood (vocals), Steve Hodson (bass), Dan Beesley (guitar), Alistair Stobbart (drums)—have had it with everything, and are apparently just succumbing to the inevitable on this skronky, stilted noise fest. As Mason-Wood yelps, “I’m in a constant state of disappointment!” The track is angry, self-deprecating and loaded with jagged guitar shards, distorted vocals, thumping bass and thrumming Krautrock rhythms.

“Why Deny It?” is the latest track from Blacklisters’ upcoming four-track EP, Leisure Centre, which was recorded by George Riley and Blacklisters at the Penthouse Recording Studio in Leeds. Vocals were recorded by Billy Mason-Wood and Steven Hodson. The EP was mixed by Steven Hodson. Saxophone on “Why Deny It?” was written, performed and recorded by Rob Mitchell. Leisure Centre will be released on cassette and digitally November 18 via Exploding in Sound in the U.S. (preorder here) and via the band in the U.K. (preorder here).

Here’s what Billy Mason-Wood had to say about the track:

“This song is kind of loosely about surrendering myself to capitalism even though I know we made it up and could just as easily have done something else with our time, like prioritized building massive pyramids in the desert to appease the sun gods, or decided that one person was the descendant of the creator and done everything he said. Also we have a saxophone!”

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