No, you did read that right, the band with the best name in contemporary funk are not defunct (despite last being seen on these virtual pages five years ago) and have a new single out. Say ‘Hello’ – not to mention, ‘Where the hell have you been?’ to Shaolin Temple Defenders with gently jangly new bit of soul Olivia. About a new loved one perhaps? Yep, but not like that. Could the answer to this mystery explain why the band have been absent for a while? You know it could! Turns out ‘Olivia’ is the daughter of singer Brother Lion while the lyrics take the narrative perspective of him as a father and, well, being a dad has blown his mind. We’ve all been there, sleepless nights, changing nappies, wiping arses, then when they learn to speak the endless questions, the bit when they learn to walk and empty shelves of records onto the floor, the phase where they discover sellotape and literally everything has to be made with it. I could go on. Perhaps a video though? He’s a CEO missing his kid. She’s – well – a little kid, missing her dad. He sweeps everything off his desk because he can’t be with her. She sweeps everything off her desk (wonder where she got the idea from) because he can’t be with her. He writes her a letter which just happens to be the lyrics of the song and sends her a Playpeople house in which the ‘people’ are him and the rest of the band. And then suddenly they’re all real and in her bedroom (or possibly her head) and you’re feeling a bit lachrymose. Yeah, they didn’t tell you that bit about having kids did they. Bastards. Two more singles are due to drop at the end of the year and it seems Snowboy is due to make an appearance.
(Out now HERE)