A wonderfully haunting track from Ferrest, “Bread and Circuses” delights in its movements from ghostly folk ruminations to eerie injections of strings and heightened vocals. The artist, originally from North Carolina and now based in Chicago, notes that the track’s title is “a reference to the Roman Poet, Juvenal, who observed that the general public could be distracted and diverted from civic engagement if they had ‘bread and circuses,’ their basic needs met and a constant source of entertainment.”
Ferrest adds: “I see that a lot today, more, perhaps, circuses than bread, given how expensive groceries are now, but the current administration deals in distraction.”
Excelling in its political thematic prowess and stylish aesthetic, “Bread and Circuses” opens with creaky acoustics and spine-tingling vocals. “What will you do when the folks that you trusted dress a lot like the folks that got you there?” vocals intensify amidst swipes of strings, chronicling how “no one argues with a loaded gun” and exploring the threat of domineering government, particularly when they decide the existence of food and entertainment. “Bread and Circuses” is a poignantly memorable standout from Ferrest.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
