Erotic Secrets of Pompeii’s latest single, “Speak Medieval,” is a chaotic thrill ride where language becomes a weapon. The band’s signature blend of dissonance and dark humor is fully realised through their jagged riffs and off-kilter rhythms.
With the music thrashing between stop-start rhythms and guitars that convulse and clash it pushes the song into unpredictable territory. A territory that is a bold and daring exploration of chaos. The mix of aggression and whimsy and the song’s unrelenting energy echoes the fractured nature of communication.
It’s a sound and vibe that Erotic Secrets of Pompeii does to sheer perfection. At the heart of “Speak Medieval” is the volatile imagery woven throughout the track. The lyrics evoke medieval visions of pricking needles to greased-up geese and bring to life a world where language is both a weapon and a deceiver.
Creating a visceral experience of miscommunication is Thomas Hawtin’s vocal delivery that mirrors the aforementioned sense of instability by moving from a drunken preacher to a frenzied storyteller. Underscoring the thematic chaos is the song’s barbed and irregular musicality. As the lurching rhythms and volatile guitars serve as apt metaphors for the breakdown of language and meaning they along with the lyrics reflect the idea that words can be as harmful as they are revealing. As the band describes, “Speak Medieval” embodies “the violent undercurrents of nursery rhymes,” twisting childhood innocence into something far more unsettling.
Erotic Secrets of Pompeii have crafted a song that is both unnerving and exhilarating and have masterfully balanced aggression with a playful yet sinister edge. It’s a track that challenges both expectations and the very nature of language itself.
See Erotic Secrets of Pompeii in April
- 18/04 Glasgow – Hug & Pint
- 19/04 Darwen – Sunbird Records
- 20/04 Sheffield – Hallamshire Hotel
- 24/04 Bristol – Exchange
- 27/04 Brighton – Prince Albert
Artwork by Dave Sausins
