A coiled spring slowly unfurled in simple, single-note piano lines, frenetic guitar loops and pulsing beats, The Boxer Rebellion’s latest single, “A Man As Alive As The City”, is a widescreen, waterfalling picture of rattling restlessness. Tapping into the human condition note-by-note, line-by-line and song-by-song, the resurgent four-piece presents another deeply emotive cut as their new Open Arms EP looms into view.
Accompanying a run of celebratory, sold-out UK and Europe dates through October, the band released the shimmering, epic “Powdered Sugar” to confirm that not only had the band returned, but a clear line from their past had been drawn to the present in a burst of urgent, updated creativity. Following November’s release of “Lightness Out Of Darkness” another stepping stone towards the release of the band’s new EP, released on Wed 14 February 2023, “A Man As Alive As The City” is a song as much for the listener as it is catharsis for the writer.
Singer and songwriter Nathan Nicholson explains, “‘A Man As Alive As The City’ is a feeling more than anything. It’s about restlessness and change. I find it hard a lot of times to unwind, like I have electricity in my veins, constantly overthinking and moving like a city that never sleeps.”
Listen to ‘A Man As Alive As The City’ – BELOW:
The union of the four Boxer Rebellion band members, Nicholson (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Adam Harrison (bass guitar), Piers Hewitt (drums) and Andrew Smith (lead guitar), gave their followers all the way through the noughties and 2010’s, belief in the DIY dream. Releasing no fewer than six albums, five on their own label after turning their back on a conventional music industry in turmoil, and including classic singles including “Flashing Red Light Means Go”, “Evacuate”, “Keep Moving”, “Diamonds” and “Both Sides Are Even” the climb towards matching or bettering such a rate of successful, searching, life-affirming music could have appeared steep.
On revealing their first new recordings last autumn, listeners were left under no illusion that the band had met the challenge to return and both met and exceeded those expectations. Similarly, their fierce sense of independence was found intact, reactivating their own Absentee Recordings label to release both their new music and press a run of their most-loved albums on vinyl for the first time. Exits, Union, The Cold Still, and Promises are now widely available at record stores and directly from the band’s official online store.
The Boxer Rebellion are to update their story later in 2024, following the release of February’s EP, with the promise of more music and further live appearances.
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