narcissus - Cuttin’ thru red tape
narcissus are a three piece Mancunian electronica outfit, they are Ben Guy (vocals/guitar), Lee Mulvey (guitar/bass) and Chris James (drums/percussion).
After some issues In the industry and a band break up the band went into a bit of a hiatus but we saw them make a return in 2019 when they released a double AA side Burning Candles/Flashing Blue Lights on the newly formed 42s record label.
They followed this up in 2020 with Our City which was a track written in conjunction with Manchester spoken word artist Dave Viney, this was a track written for a charity album Manc Made /// Acts of Hope which was curated by Ben Guy.
This was followed up by the phenomenal lost causes which was released in September 2020 and was AliveandGigging’s track of the year.
2021 promises to be huge for narcissus and they released their first single of the year, Cuttin’ thru red tape on Friday 12 February. When asked about the track Ben said:
At a time when creative arts are being dismantled before our eyes by those that don’t understand nor care, cuttin’ thru red tape serves as a blistering call to arms and a very timely reminder to cling on to those creative passions and pursuits like never before as it is these that truly define who we are and what we do. They are likely to have been there with you for both the greatest and darkest times of your life and so lean into them now more than ever as they will not let you down.
Cuttin’ thru red tape is another banger from narcissus, it starts off with a hypnotic drum beat and waltzing guitars that spin around in your head and infect your brain with a melody that will have you head nodding instantly.
The vocals on the track are fantastic with Ben Guy and the incredible Becki Fishwick giving us perfect harmonies throughout, the latter after this performance will be much sought after in the industry to add her gorgeous vocals to dance tracks up and down the country.
narcissus are great at writing ear worm lyrics and they have nailed this again with the memorable words “don’t tap into feelings you don’t understand you should know things are never planned”.
Once again they have produced a track that stands them out from the crowd, very much blazing a trail with their own innovate brand of guitar driven indie electronica.
This is the year to get on board with narcissus, they should be on your list of bands to watch and if you get the chance go see them live. I know a live gig is one of the must do’s for me this year.
Give Cuttin’ thru red tape a stream below:
