A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Undefeated LP by Frank Turner. After releasing nine albums in seventeen years (and that’s just the studio albums – there are more comps and live albums that have appeared, as well), many fans may have a bit of difficulty getting excited about a new Frank Turner album. Granted, the singer has never made any gross missteps along the way in his catalogue, but it could easily be argued that fans feel familiar with Turner; they know what to expect from him. That may indeed be true but, on Undefeated, Frank Turner proves he is still able to stoke excitement in fans by standing with them and challenging himself as much as they would challenge him. Each of the fourteen songs on Undefeated push boundaries and limits for both those listening and for Turner as an artist, but none stumble or trip at all. Undefeated is, simply stated, a perfectly rewarding listen.
As strong as such praise may sound, it’s worth pointing out that the gratification which comes from Undefeated begins to appear as soon as needle drops and “Do One” opens the A-side of the album. There, Turner seems to begin humbly (check out lines like, “Some people are just going to hate you/ No matter what you do/ So don’t waste your time trying to change their minds/ Just be a better you.“) before ratcheting up the levels of defiance in a manner that is instantly rewarding (“It took me years to learn this/ More than I’d like to admit/ But through my ups and downs I figured one thing out/ Don’t take anyone’s shit”).
The levels actually go up still higher after “Do One” introduces Undefeated in the most remarkable ways. “Nevermind The Back Problems” clatters together and spits in the face of the possibility that punk’s life force might be in question with a sneer which could only have come from the United Kingdom before pumping the brakes for some introspection in “Ceasefire” and then stomping right back down hard on the accelerator for the music store MASH note, “Girl From The Record Shop.”
On “Girl From The Record Shop,” how much Turner has refined his songwriting craft over the last nine albums is really evident. Sure – songs about girls have always been in the singer’s repertoire, but Turner’s newest attempts feel more meticulously constructed than those on previous albums. The first few cuts on the A-side of Undefeated prime listeners well, but the particular standouts like “Girl From The Record Shop” and “Pandemic PTSD” hit square in the middle of the side and so definitely require a time investment – but they’re definitely worth it. “Girl From The Record Shop” really sets hearts racing, but “Pandemic PTSD” just cannot help but be a thematic centrepiece; lyrics like “I’m haunted by a kind of mourning for the life that we left in 2019/ I know it wasn’t perfect, but it’s what I knew/ Physically distanced, told we’re in it together/ But socially removed from our snickering betters/ Far too smart to abase themselves by following their own rules” sum up the frustration that many people felt during the pandemic, even if we might recognize how pragmatically important the practice was now, in hindsight (although it’s still a button issue, and the fallout of that isolation is still felt).
As the side plays, “Letters” continues with the same pragmatic bent and contrasts the song’s tempo with the minor chords which drive the song as well as the singer’s (lyrically) admitted frustration before finally closing with the geographically-conscious “East Finchley.” There, Turner finds a way to balance love and frustration beautifully as lines like “When they put up the barriers at East Finchley Underground/At the end of the tunnel that led to your road/ They cut off my route to the only saafe place I’d find/ It cost money I didn’t have for me to go home” present the image of a familiar place in unfamiliar circumstances, issued in a tone and with an inflection which will have listeners rushing to investigate because there is anger without confrontation apparent. There is reserve, but a critical spirit too – and that emotional hook is huge and listeners will find that they’re still wrestling with that as stylus lifts from side.
Perhaps because he knows he closed the A-side on a heavy note, Frank Turner elects to completely change the subject at the top of the B- and, while the energy is very similar, the approach is much different. “No Thank You For The Music” (which is very possibly the most uniquely British way of telling people how disinterested they are in the concept of digital music consumption) valiantly attacks online music culture with a well-honed balance of poppy caprice and bile in its belly (check out lines like, “Now I’m surprised to report that as I enter my Forties / I’ve returned to being an angry man/I can see clearly now that the drugs wore off/ Some kinds of music just aren’t part of the plan,” which pairs the manic snarl of a street preacher with Elvis Costello at his most punky-melodic) and the songs flies beautifully with the sense of sensory overload which powers it. That aforementioned energy holds up but plays a little leaner through “The Leaders,” and uses the same chord progression under the coyly-entitled “International Hide and Seek Champion.” Now, as that series of songs plays through, the energy never fades under levels that are undeniably infectious – which begins to feel a little problematic, somehow. By “…Champions,” listeners may actually find they’re beginning to tire of what they’re hearing, which is what makes the break exhibited by “Show People” so welcome.
For “Show People,” everyone (including Turner himself) gets the chance to catch their breath as they go from a run to a brisk walking tempo – in contrast to lyrical fare which pays respect to all the people who make a concert happen (like sound men, lighting crew, security et cetera), behind the scenes. While the tempo of the song does decrease, it never gets quite as overwrought as Elton John did with “Tiny Dancer” – which serves it very well. Listeners will find that they relish the movement that “Show People” makes as it runs and, when it ends, the sense of satisfaction that comes with it is just stellar. “On My Way” follows and echoes “Show People” a little as well as seasoning in something similar to Bright Eyes’ more romantic side before Turner makes his way to a piano to further reaffirm that image through “Somewhere Inbetween,” but the real peak was achieved before and during “Show People” and everything after it is just an enactment of an extended outro. The final cut of the album, the title track, treads ever-closer to that “Elton John” line as the Turner rolls the piano out again, but also has the presence of mind to bring a guitar and drummer along to make the cut a little less balladesque, and more like a victory as the song crashes to a close on the title lyric.
After the needle has lifted and listeners have a minute to digest where the title cut left them, listeners who have run front-to-back with Undefeated will eventually concede that they can take the ride through the album again – but that decree may not come as immediately as it did with Frank Turner’s previous work (like with Poetry Of The Deed, England Keep My Bones and Tape Deck Heart and FTHC in particular). The process of affection which comes to Undefeated is a more gradual one but fans can rest assured that they’ll eventually find what they’re looking for here. While certainly more difficult, Undefeated is excellent and, when you’re not expecting it, is capable of packing a wallop which will leave listeners won. [Bill Adams]
Artist:
https://frank-turner.com/
https://www.facebook.com/frankturnermusic/
https://www.instagram.com/frankturner/?hl=en
Album:
Undefeated is out now. Buy it here, directly from Frank Turner’s official website.
