“Those of us with gods would you mind asking where the hell they have been?“
Stick To Your Guns have marched their own path with their strong messages of stark anti-capitalism, notions of self-worth, and heavy social discontent. They’ve done all with huge ballads and hard hitting tracks with potent lyricism that many, including myself, have held dear over the decade plus of Stick To Your Guns‘ existence. Be that the introspective poetry of “D[I am]ond“, the war cry of “What Choice Did You Give Us?“, or the beautiful self-realisation of “Better Ash Than Dust“. The Orange County unit now return after a long five years, with Spectre, a record that feels fitting for the times we live and see Stick To Your Guns show they’re masters of their craft.
Spectre is an outward and massive record. While opener “Weapon” does potentially pass by as your run-of-the-mill Stick To Your Guns track, what follows is firmly in fifth gear. “Hush” is a hard track, with pounding drums matched by Jesse’s vicious vocals, backed with chants of “hush“, working to conjure a track that will make you want to swing for the nearest person in the pit. The following two tracks do not let up. “A World To Win“, referencing the famous Karl Marx quote, is an epic track, pulling the listener in with its catchy STYG-typical lyricism, even with the classic “woahhh” sitting in the chorus. While it could be conceived as slightly on the nose, as their previous work has been at times, the directness and formulation of it manages to avoid that, and it’s a track that’s, to be blunt, really fucking difficult not to sing along to.
“Open Up My Head” is by far the most anthemic work that the quintet have produced to date, and if this track doesn’t get placed onto their live set at once, it will be a crime. The huge paced grooves of the drum and matching guitar riffs combine for a track that longs to have the volume cranked up and be experienced live. “Fuck what they say, I am not like them, ashes to ashes now we all fall down” is one of the many lyrics within “Open Up My Head” that seem intentionally crafted to be sung back while STYG do their thing on stage.
The latter half of the record is where Spectre begins to steal the heart, as many moments across Stick To Your Guns discography have done. Following out from the fury of beatdown track “Instruments Of The End“, which will undoubtedly see people throwing hands and two stepping in a live setting, emerges reflective track “Father”. The chants of “to freedom and death“, invoking the Greek phrase “eleftheria i thanatos“, fill out the track. It acts as a prelude to following track “More Of Us Than Them“, the emotion of a worn and beaten-down mind that is easy to succumb to with the horror of modern society, before the deep reflection of the closing moments lead into the album’s penultimate track.
“More Of Us Than Them” is a war anthem; a blunt reminder that no matter the wealth and power the bourgeoisie may accumulate, there is always More Of Us Than Them. It has the deserved fury towards those who have inflicted misfortune and destruction upon society. As Cage Fight did earlier this year, Stick To Your Guns have avoided pissing around the edge of the matter, and call out that these people should get what they deserve: “No last words from the guillotine“. Come the end of it all, the track has a power to rile up the emotions that make one desire social discontent and an opportunity for payback.
Closer “No Way To Live” sees Stick To Your Guns usher in the acoustic guitar and perform in the style of Wish You Were Here. It’s a reflective and poetic track looking at familial political differences, religion and existentialism. It’s an immaculate performance from Jesse Barnett and contains arguably one of Spectre’s best lyrics in “Those of us with gods would you mind asking where the hell they have been?” “No Way To Live” treads new ground for Stick To Your Guns, and it’s done in a heartfelt manner that potentially renders it one of Spectre‘s top tracks.
With Spectre, Stick To Your Guns have delivered one of their best records to date. It will sit alongside Better Ash Than Dust and Diamond as the finest work in Stick To Your Guns’ discography. There is a maturity and precision to Spectre that is the product of the group’s experience and learnings of their flourished careers, as well as a confidence and assuredness that listeners will take away with them from the lyricism that serves as a war cry against capitalism. While some may see the lyricism as cliché, they act to serve as a reminder to these realities that are often easy to forget. Many of the topics discussed across Stick To Your Guns records have simple solutions involving solidarity and organising; as the anthropologist David Graeber wrote, “the ultimate, hidden truth of the world is that it is something that we make, and could just as easily make differently”.
8.5/10
Spectre is out July 29th via Pure Noise Records and can be pre-ordered here.