ICYMI — some things happened in 1978: mass cult suicides in Jonestown, the conviction of “Son of Sam,” the minting of the Susan B. Anthony dollar, and the fleeing of Roman Polanski to France. Movies like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Saturday Night Fever, and Grease hit silver screens with a blockbusting bang. Um, also, Ashton Kutcher was born…
Of course, tons of terrible and amazing music was released. On the amazing side, a debut 3-song EP called “Damaged Goods” was put out on the small-but-important post-punk label Fast Product that turned many a head with its strident, overtly-political statement. Thus began the oft-fractious, interrupted, and hyper-influential career of Leeds’ gang of four, Gang of Four. The veteran agitators will release a new 4-track EP called Complicit on April 20 as a forerunner to their new album due this summer.
Since their 1977 inception, GoF have never been ones to shy away from pointed argumentum, and as such, the cover of Complicit (pictured above) features none other than President Trump’s favorite moppet, Ivanka, looking rather, shall we say…Complicit??? Ivanka also serves as the namesake for the EP’s second track, “Ivanka (Things You Can’t Have).” Gang leader Andy Gill explains all this Trump family tolling thusly:
When we think of “the media,” everyone has lots of ideas about what we mean. It could be social media, where hundreds of memes criss-cross the world; informing, misinforming, beginning or reinforcing ideas that may last a lifetime and beyond. Ideas about Jews, Muslims, or, say, the world trade centre or perhaps, the criminality of certain American politicians. And then there is the receding traditional media with disappearing jobs like “journalists” and “fact checkers.” That’s the media the Trump family despise.
Obviously, Gill and his rabble still have a lot of fight and bite in them. Get a taste via the EP’s clangorous first track “Lucky,” which is available here and for streaming down below.
Complicit EP tracklisting:
01. Lucky
02. Ivanka (Things You Can’t Have)
03. I’m A Liar
04. Lucky (10 O’Clock Chemical Remix)
Gang of Tour:
04.27.18 - Bologna, Italy - Zona Roveri Music Factory
04.28.18 - Rome, Italy - Traffic Club
05.14.18 - Palermo, Argentina - Niceto Club
05.19.18 - Mexico City, Mexico - Circuito Condesa-Roma, Festival Marvin CDMX
08.03.18 - Horten, Norway - Kanalrock
10.05.18 - London, UK - 100 Club (Indie Daze 5 with The Wedding Present)