- 2025-05-12
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MUSIC
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The Amazons Releases New Album “21st Century Fiction”
British rock band The Amazons, consisting of Matt Thomson (vocals/guitar), Chris Alderton (guitar) and Elliot Briggs (bass), released their fourth studio album “21st Century Fiction” on May 9, 2025 via Nettwerk Music Group.
It is their first album in three years since the 2022 album “How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me?”. Also it is first release under their new label Nettwerk.
The album comprises 13 tracks, featuring a guest appearance from British singer-songwriter Ella McRobb, produced by Pete Hutchings, Chris Alderton, Catherine Mark, and Mike Kerr.
Additionally, the fifth track “My Blood” features British rock band Royal Blood's member Mike Kerr on bass and production, and Ben Thatcher on drums.
The album is the sound of a man in his late 20s, struggling with unrealistic ideals of masculinity and a sense of unfulfilled promise, surrounded by a world plagued by chaos.- The band lead singer Matt Thomson said of the album, “The record comes from the frustration of being in that place where my 20s were ending and being really cognisant of that. Self-flagellation; always wondering what's around the corner, always scolding myself for not matching up to some unattainable ideals of what it means to be a successful band or even just a man.”
The band said, “We wanted to approach this album, frankly, as if it were our last. We poured our hopes into this record - hopes for what this band could be. We wanted to be bold and courageous and totally uncompromising with our creativity. We wanted to have belief in our taste and convictions. We wanted to show the world that the best was yet to come. Bukowski said: 'If you're going to try, go all the way.' We tried. At the very least, maybe we got one step closer.” -
The band explained about some tracks for the album.
“Living a Lie” featuring Ella McRobb
“[It’s] an ode to staring at the ceiling in the early hours of the morning - when little fictions turn into hard truths in the stillness of the night. We were working on a very different sound before 'Living A Lie.' This song articulated a tone and a feeling that spoke to our lives in a way we hadn’t been able to access previously. An anxiety about the future and a frustration with the past.”
“Night After Night”
“What interested us were the guys who’d go there all the time, who became part of the furniture, at the bar night after night compelled to be there, unable to break out. It’s easy to judge, but we all have our habits, some more visible than others. It’s only when we try to hop the fence, that we realise how much of a hold they have over us.”
“Pitch Black”
“Speaking from the stiff male experience, what we try and strive for in strength can turn into pride - we can be our own worst enemy sometimes. 'Pitch Black' inhabits a space that we can fall into, and it's really hard to get out. We dig ourselves a hole, and then we break the ladder. Isn't it funny that when we're in our darkest place, it's the least likely moment that we would reach out to someone? It's about the paradox of that.”
“My Blood”
“Why do we carry on when the chips are down and all we hear is ‘stop’? ‘My Blood’ is an exploration into why, when you truly believe in something, you can push yourself past the point of pain. It’s not something you can intellectualise, it’s something you feel. With age comes more responsibilities, obstacles, reasons to quit. But in ‘My Blood’ I wanted to illustrate a force out of our control, deep inside of us, that forsakes that rational thinking.”
“Love Is a Dog From Hell”
“It’s rare for us to be able to pinpoint an exact time and place that inspired a song but, this time it’s easy. Skylight Books, Los Angeles. That’s where Dolly Parton’s ‘Mule Skinner Blues’ first floated in through my ear canals and burrowed into my brain, to live happily forever. ‘Love is a Dog From Hell’ is a song of temptation, self-sabotage and how fun the ride can be just moments before it hurdles over a cliff edge.” - source : Apple Music
