Algiers’ self-titled 2015 LP was a breath of fresh and bracing air. Cross-pollinating politically motivated post-punk with the social concerns of soul and gospel, the trio’s debut was a powerful expression of protest in the face of racial injustice. Since that time the band, which consists of original members singer/guitarist Franklin Fisher, bassist/synthesist Ryan Mahan, and guitarist Lee Tesche, has added former Bloc Party drummer Matt Tong to the fold. Their newest effort, The Underside of Power, was recorded under the shadow of last year’s presidential election, as well as news of Brexit, and the much needed album is due out June 23rd via Matador.
While the band’s 2015 debut was composed using filing sharing, as the group’s original members were living in various cities, the upcoming record reflects their status as a working and touring band. Discussing The Underside of Power with Ron Kretsch at Dangerous Minds last week, Algiers’ guitarist Lee Tesche explained:
“When Brexit happened we were in England, and the U.S. election happened towards the end of tracking and mixing, and those things definitely influenced the very final shape and character of these songs.”
The band’s video for “The Underside of Power” was directed and edited by Henry Busby and Marcus Tortorici and it definitely reflects the frightening aftermath of our presidential election and Europe’s lurch to the Right. From an undisclosed bunker, we watch as the band and their compatriots plot their strategies of anti-Fascist resistance. Coupled with archival footage from the Civil Rights movement and singer/guitarist’s Franklin Fisher’s impassioned delivery, the video is a rousing testament to the powers of the collective when directed towards the life and liberty of all. In a recent press release for the video, Fisher explains:
“I heard someone say once that you don’t know what real power is until you’re on the wrong side of it. That was the inspiration for ‘The Underside of Power’ To be someone who has known first-hand, the full brunt of institutional force, the feeling of being completely vulnerable to it and powerless against it, is a bitter reality for the vast majority of people. The image of an insect being squashed by a boot comes to mind. But with that image comes a slightly hopeful paradox: just as all systems have inherent flaws, so does the proverbial boot, which leaves the slight possibility for the insect to creep through and bite back.”
