The Resurrection Club unveils a melodic, stylish depiction of endurance on their debut album Survival. Reconnecting decades after their Glasgow post-punk origins, Martin McLeish and Morris Fraser collaborated remotely from Spain and Scotland, sending song fragments across continents to bridge their geographical distance. The resulting work blends analogue post-punk grit with modern ambient electronics, tackling climate anxiety and alienation with a persistent, human ferocity.
Opening the album, “Every Second Counts” unleashes a strong stylistic prowess right away with spacey synth buzzing and sturdy vocal momentum. “No one’s listening, and time is running out,” the vocals let out during an excitable hook, with bouncy charisma and starry-eyed glistening melding into a “just remember – every second counts” reminder. Carpe-diem sentiments linger thematically, while also suggesting that the only metric of success — in an indifferent world — is how well you harmonize with the clock ticking in your own mind and soul. It makes for a spirited, encouraging standout in commencing Survival.
The epic “Survival, Pt.1&2” arrives next, casting a melancholic and late-night spell with theatrical synths, moody piano, and flourishes of guitar — aesthetically reminiscent of Chromatics in its heart-on-sleeve atmospherics. “Oh no the sun’s come up, this gets no better when I sleep,” an introspective vocal lets out, its “beaten and broken” sense of fatigue arriving into a catchy melding of soaring guitars and sharp synths. “I’m not giving up / Am I waiting on a miracle?” the vocals stir there, as the production dazzles in its fantastic interplay of guitars and synths. A haunting midpoint, with choir wordless vocals and warbled electronics, fully intrigues — and expands into a textured rock vigor before its familiarly moody outro.
“Our Luck’s Run Out” continues the album’s lovely start, and it never really lets up in quality from there. “The more you speak, the less you say,” further lyrical wisdom lets out, here amidst a spacious soundscape that sits aptly within its “sitting in the dark” and star-aligning brightness. “You go our way, and I’ll go mine,” the vocals further as effervescent synths continue to ruminate, invoking a vibe-y and heart-tugging atmosphere with shades of The Blue Nile. Also gripping with its emotive pull, “Stone Me in Paradise” beckons to “take me to a peaceful place” whilst one struggles with a constantly looming shadow. Swells of synths and post-punk guitar tones intertwine during an enveloping title-bearing catharsis, moving in its layered vocals and lingering synth entrancement.
Another standout track, “Emergency” rides on a funk-tinged infectiousness as poignant lyrical truths persist. “Too many nations are in denial, the human race is now on trial,” the vocals declare, commiserating on rampant recklessness by world leaders in issues of climate change and beyond — resulting in an increasingly difficult living experience for all. The “emergency” vocal soaring and galloping bass make for a replay-inducing energy throughout. As a whole, Survival continuously showcases engaging songwriting and productions, tackling modern anxieties and laments within infectious and stylish forays into rock, synth-pop, funk, and beyond.
