New Music: ‘Do One’, Frank Turner
Folk punk legend Frank Turner launches his upcoming tenth album ‘Undefeated’ (due 3 March) with the release of new single ‘Do One’.
Having distanced himself from mainstream labels Frank has fully embraced his newfound status as an independent artist, writing and recording the new album in his home studio on Mersea Island, Essex.
‘Do One’ straddles the nexus of power-pop and pop-punk, resounding with rallying cries of unshackled defiance in true Frank Turner fashion.
“‘Do One’ is the last song I wrote for the new album, and the first song on that album, as well as the first single,” Frank explains.
“So, it’s a summation of what I’m trying to say with this record, a record about survival and defiance, but also one with a sense of fun and self-deprecation. 19 years into my solo career, I’m still standing up and putting out some of my best work. It feels good.”
Finding the sweet spot between youthful outspokenness and surviving midlife’s challenges, ‘Undefeated’ is a record that explores both emotionally compelling topics intertwined with lighter reflections on those troubles that eventually come to most of us.
“There are no clichés about the difficult 10th album, so in some ways, that’s a liberating statement,” he says.
“But at the same time, I have a duty to justify writing and releasing a 10th album. That’s a lot of records for anybody. Also, I’m 42. Which is not a sexy, rock’n’roll age. But all through my career, I’ve been interested in writers like Loudon Wainwright III or The Hold Steady, people who write about adulthood, essentially.”
‘Undefeated’ was recorded with Frank’s live band, featuring his live Ben Lloyd (guitar), Tarrant Anderson (bass), Callum Green (drums) and Matt Nasir (piano).
Now able to fully explore his breadth of influences, Frank has imbued ‘Undefeated’ with echoes of the artists and bands that have inspired him, from Black Flag, Counting Crows and Descendents to The Pogues, Elvis Costello and Billy Bragg.