Frank Carter + Idles’ Joe Talbot Drop Fierce New Song ‘My Town’
Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes are back, with an assist from Idles vocalist Joe Talbot on their driving and brutally frank new song "My Town" that serves as a stinging statement on the state of mental health in a pandemic world.
Carter, who has openly addressed his own mental health issues in the past, uses the examination of a town as a metaphor for the need to look inward and realize that our collective view on mental health could use some addressing after a difficult year.
"[It's] our collective mental health falling apart," says Carter, adding, “It’s easy to dissociate when it’s someone else’s problem but we are each responsible for keeping the streets clean, looking out for our fellow neighbors and acting with kindness and respect as we walk through life. We can look into this town and see the seedy underbelly, the dirt, the disdain, the undercurrent of hate and despair. And then we are reminded that ‘My Town’ looks just like yours, and no one gives a fuck at all and if we don’t start looking after ourselves soon then we are all going to be in big trouble.”
The song, produced by guitarist Dean Richardson, is a pedal-down rocker starting with a 1-2-3-4 propulsion into a high energy statement that gets its point across with steely precision and a killer beat.
"My Town" came about in 2020, shortly after the band had come off one of their best gigs at Alexandra Palace in London when the pandemic hit and forced everyone off the road. Feeling a renewed spirit, the band wanted to jump into the studio. But the obstacles of the past year eventually found their way into the music when they were finally able to record.
As for Talbot's guest turn, he was personally selected by Carter who became a fan of Idles after seeing them play live. "They had a tremendous effect on me," says Carter who reached out to Talbot about the song. Check out the lyrics and video below and if you like what you hear, "My Town" is available at this location.
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes featuring Joe Talbot, "My Town" Lyrics
My town it looks like yours
Run down Worn out All shut doors
Broken windows Empty halls
Where No one gives a fuck at all
My town it looks like yours
Never rains it only pours
No man’s land of evil thoughts
Where no one gives a fuck at allYOU!
You don’t know why
You never talk about what’s deep inside
My town it looks like yours
We Hide those tears
Behind closed doors
We never talk about our fears
Don’t know why we’re living here
My townMy town it looks like yours
Needles scattered on the floor
Body parts in bags in wheelie bins
My town it looks like yours
No one here can trust the law
You win the fight but lose the warYOU!
You don’t know why
You never talk about what’s deep inside
My town it looks like yours
We Hide those tears
Behind closed doors
Never talk about our fears
Don’t know why we’re living here
My townYou let your dog shit on the street
You kick the roses with your feet
You punch each other in the teeth
You drink until you all fall down
You piss all over sacred ground
You hate yourselves
And YOU HATE MEYOU!
You don’t know why
You never talk about what’s deep inside
My town it looks like yours
We Hide those tears
Behind closed doors
We never talk about our fears
Don’t know why we’re living here
My town