Rating: 5/5
It’s been six years of radio silence from The Streets. After dominating the UK music scene during the early noughties, the influence of Mike Skinner and his eclectic collection of musicians on UK garage and pop slowly faded until The Streets officially disbanded in 2011. But now they’re back with a 2018 tour and two new singles: ‘Burn Bridges’ and its B side ‘Sometimes I Hate My Friends More Than My Enemies’.
‘Burn Bridges’ is a nihilistic, gritty single. Skinner’s characteristic, stream-of-consciousness poetry echoes over a pulsing instrumental that clearly draws influence from grime, a genre whose inception Mike Skinner contributed to: the low growling bass and icy tinkle of the synth are reminiscent of Wiley’s classic beat ‘Morgue’. The half-rhymed, monotonous and fragmented flow marries perfectly with the echoing beat to create a sense of apathetic weariness: “burn bridges, burn bridges, there are worse things than hurt feelings, literally” he repeats dispassionately.
It is vintage Streets; the sparse yet intricate instrumental overlaid with Mike Skinner’s hallmark almost-rapping brings to mind the iconic tracks ‘Has It Come To This?’ and ‘Don’t Mug Yourself’ from the genre defining Original Pirate Material album.
Image Credit: Discogs
