New London Fire’s forthcoming record Tired of This Man may at first seem rooted within the zeitgeist of contemporary indie folk, but a closer listening reveals the group’s spiritual connection to the more overtly political Americana of the early 20th Century. “I hope people feel the same kind of kinship with [our] music that they once did with Phil Ochs or Woody Guthrie,” remarks band leader David Debiak (of Sleep Station and Electric Century). “We want to remind people of the importance of unions, of sticking together in protest.”
This connection is most apparent on tracks like “Now I’m Found,” in which Debiak sings about “gazing upon green and sprawling mountains” with nods to Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.” In doing so, Tired of This Man seeks to revive a grounded sense of Americanism, one not bolstered by blind exceptionalism but instead a celebration of America as a sum of its many different and diverse parts, often employing Debiak’s own experiences as testament – contextualized in our current political climate, New London Fire offers a sharp rebuke while invoking the peace loving nature of the American folk tradition.
Tired of This Man will be out October 26th via The Preservation Society. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt)