The new single by Scottish act Dictator may sound quite upbeat on the outside but there’s a dark and embittered message at the heart.
Outwardly jaunty, with an “indie/dance” referencing percussion intro, the “champagne socialist” line tells you exactly what territory we are inhabiting here.
Ridiculously catchy and somewhat of an ’80s throwback, this is cleverly subversive, harking back to bands like The Style Council, The Redskins and even Tyrrel Corporation.
Like the evil twin of the notorious Blairite-appropriated anthem ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ (co-written by Ulsterman Peter Cunnah) this track is uplifting, but only as far as illusions can go – the sotto voce later section mentions the track title finally, and “eating in the dark” – this is about poverty, struggle and getting shat on time and again by governments of all colours.
Suck it up!