E.P Review: Insider Trading - And Back Again

 

In an ideal world, justice would take its own course. We're often told to let it do so, as if pushing for it is an inconvenience, a bother or something the little people should just not worry their pretty little heads about. We see stories of injustice in more vivid - often inconceivable - detail than at any other time in human history and it weighs heavy. The concept of justice is never far from the news cycle - Gaza, The Cornell 7, Russell Brand, The failed execution of Christa Pike, Manchester City's 114 charges - All raise the same unresolved question. Can justice ever truly atone?

The fact is that we don't live in an ideal world and justice is more often seen to be done than actually achieved; a mirage to satiate and placate. On to the next story. 

How does that link to the new E.P from Glasgow band Insider Trading then? You might well be thinking. I haven't thought that far ahead yet, but we'll get there. 

And Back Again is the band's new release and the concept of justice is at the core of its rollercoaster 25 minute existence. Don't get me wrong here, this is not a band that are likely to be stencilling Marxist sloganeering on their drum skins, whilst dressing as Che Guevara and trying to shut down the London stock exchange any time soon. But when you listen to these songs in depth, it's clear there are some deep thinkers here trying to navigate their way through a world of increasingly obvious iniquity.

At the time of the E.P's release Insider Trading were in Rotterdam, playing at the Left of the Dial showcase festival; a renowned event for picking up on some of Europe's most exciting new acts. They've also just been announced to play at Left of the Dial's New York City cousin New Colossus in March 2027. These are exciting times for a band reaching for the next level. 

Opener 'The Best Band in Scotland' is not the brag it may seem on paper - nothing is quite so literal in Insider Trading's world. The track starts with a unsettling slice of feedback and vocalist Cameron Bilsland sounding full of remorse as he tries to make sense of his broken heart. Before too long, the discordance is replaced by a pretty arpeggio and Bilsland's mood has shifted with the dynamics. He sounds more philosophical as he sings here, the words are sharp and intelligent, but the delivery is understated and this punctuates their meaning:

I am a simple man, 

hungry for penitence, but dining on synonyms

Bassist Eve Gibbons provides the ideal vocal alliance here too, harmonising on some lines to shift your ear between the two. It's an effect the band have played with before and clearly are starting to get the balance right with. The track shifts in volume and the vocal is more spoken word; Gibbons leading and Bilsland repeating a step or two behind. Just when you think the track seems to be coming to it's inevitable crescendo, the band decide to play around with the old, big 'that's all folks' ending: Bilsland more animated, bordering on unhinged now:

You're not gonna breath again, until I tell you to.

Wait for me, oh so patient. 

I don't have time for questions anymore,

because I roll the pennies now.

The false ending climaxes before bursting back into life, Bilsland proclaiming he'll never be in the best band in Scotland and that he'd wasted the one good song that everyone has in them, as the band kick it up a notch. It's a celebratory ending awash with self deprecation and it makes me think of distant Los Campesinos! and Seafood records as the goose bumps are raised almost on que. Bravo.

 'Porcelain' is the single from July that proceeded the E.P release and it's clear why this was the choice to go with. I'm not sure that you could ever really describe what Insider Trading do as being rooted in pop sentiments, but this is perhaps the closest the band have come to doing so. It's a much more linear lyrical approach than they have achieved before, but it certainly doesn't diminish the quality of writing. The song tells the story of a situationship that Bilsland had at University in Oxford and subverts the old Pulp classic 'Common People'; power dynamics, lust, working class resentment of the upper class superiority complex. 

You can feel these various degrees of tension smouldering throughout the track at different points:

The budget existentialism won't hide the stench of disdain declares Bilsland as he initially sees the object of his desire performing on stage. 

Don't tell your father where we've been going each week as the chorus kicks in, the realisation that the situation is more complex and frustrating than the physical chemistry justifies. 

Show me the best bars in Soho and I'll show you Argyle Street, but you wouldn't like it much! The disparity evident in the snobbery. 

All that in a 6 minute epic that someone never overstays its welcome.

                                                

Much like the title track on the band's debut E.P  From Leith to New York, 'To The Moon' serves as an instrumental palate cleanser to the grand ambitions of the opening two tracks. The result is a sound that swirls in a state of otherworldly bliss. Ambient and distant, Sam Jolley's guitar leads and it has an intent to it similar to those early ..And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead songs that burst out of the speakers before you've had time to get used to it. This is more Post Rock adjacent though, with an air of Mogwai's brooding sonic compositions and the attention to detail of Explosions in the Sky. This is just showing off now and they're not even sorry.

Closer 'Losing My Language' brings the E.P to a close with typical assuredness. The opening strains of Jolley's playing is another unfathomably beautiful arpeggio, that is soon joined by Gibbons vocal 'aaahs' that ape the guitar angelically. If the song didn't change at this point, I'd be quite happy to listen to this for another 5 minutes. Bilsland joins and his vocal sits nicely on top of Gibbons' and once again the weight is just about right. 

The lyrics talk of the complications of remaining proud of your homeland in a time where rampant nationalism threatens the very nucleus of that pride. 

Your flag won't save you and your blood won't set you free bellows Bilsland and it sounds like the kind of desperate plea to Caledonia from deep within that he just can't contain anymore. The guitar turns more aggressive and Tom Wood's drumming ramps up the intensity. The song breaks down to its bare bones again and it's here where the key lyrical sentiment of the track, and perhaps the whole E.P ring out loud and true:

I'm not a sinner and you're not a saint, but we're all going to the same place. 

I never learnt the language, I never forged my own path.

Unity in a time of division, even if you feel like an outsider sometimes. As someone who grew up in working class North Wales, and who can barely get past basic conversational Welsh, that one hits like a brick in the face. I'm not crying, YOU'RE crying. 

There's no doubt that And Back Again is a challenging listen. It's not perfect, but it sure is smart without dumbing down, articulate without straying into pretentiousness and forges it's own path despite what the lyrics to 'Losing My Language' may say. They may not be the best band in Scotland, but if justice does take its own course, then they might have to start thinking they are before too long.

Insider Trading play They're Gonna Be Big at Paris, Supersonic club on Oct 29th before a short UK tour in November, tickets are available now and the dates are:

Bristol, The Lanes - Nov 4th

Swansea, The Bunkhouse - Nov 5th

Sebright Arms, London - Nov 6th

Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham - Nov 7th

The Washington, Sheffield - Nov 11th

Gullivers, Manchester - Nov 12th

Bootleg Social, Blackpool - Nov 13th

The Packhorse, Leeds - Nov 14th