Being the first The The album in almost 25 years, ‘Ensoulment’ carries a lot of weight on its shoulders. While it’s true that Matt Johnson has released music during that period — aside from the odd single there are multiple soundtracks and the Cineola spoken word releases — this is a major return that, at one time or another, felt like it may never come.
There were reasons for Johnson’s withdrawal from the public eye, not least the devastating loss of two brothers and both his parents, as well as suffering from ego inflation and the fallout from that after his previous successes. Accordingly, grief is one touchstone on ‘Ensoulment’, with Where Do We Go When We Die pondering the afterlife, but elsewhere Johnson is in a spiky political mood.
He has publicly stated that he was in a happy place during recording, although the music doesn’t necessarily reflect that. The title of the lead single, Cognitive Dissident, might sum up Johnson’s feelings in two words.
Here he delves into what exactly reality represents nowadays over a dirty, rubbery bassline. “Truth stands on the gallows, lies sit on the throne,” he says at one point, in reference to the enormity of false information being thrust upon us.
Echoing his Cineola releases, most of the record is spoken. On songs such as the fantastically titled Some Days I Drink My Coffee by the Grave of William Blake, his lyrics hold our attention without melodic distractions, also allowing the chorus to lift off. The excellent Risin’ Above the Need employs this tactic equally effectively.
Zen and the Art of Dating talks of swiping left and right, creating something akin to former epics such as Out of the Blue (Into the Fire) from ‘Infected’ and there’s reference to the life threatening hospital episode Johnson endured in 2020 on Linoleum Smooth to the Stockinged Foot.
But it’s not all traumatic stuff, as the gentle piano ballad I Want to Wake up With You clutches at hope. Johnson has sung about the UK being the 51st state of the USA before — on the ‘Infected’ single Heartland — and perhaps the biggest highlight here is Kissing the Ring of POTUS, a melodic delight that’s equally interesting as a stinging political message.
The energy that drove early The The releases may have gone, with the overall tempo slowing down considerably, but Johnson’s ability to provoke conversation remains. ‘Ensoulment’ may have taken a long time to arrive, but it’s worth the wait.
The The Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed September 25 2024 - EDINBURGH Usher Hall
Fri September 27 2024 - WOLVERHAMPTON Civic Hall
Sat September 28 2024 - LONDON Alexandra Palace
Mon September 30 2024 - MANCHESTER O2 Apollo
Tue October 01 2024 - LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
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