Political yet intimate, atlas and the attic impress with their new ep 'Polyester city'
- Keely Naylon
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
Bursting into the new year with a politically charged and emotional self-produced EP ‘Polyester City’ (released January 27) Atlas and the Attic show that they’re not afraid to confront the chaos of modern society.
The EP opens with three unapologetically political tracks, critical of our current society and the systems that run it. The first track, ‘The Gravedigger’, provides listeners with an excellent marker for what is to come across the course of this EP. ‘The Gravedigger’ is a clean, classic emo track that would fit well in the discography of emo greats, Taking Back Sunday. Sam Leslie’s vocals are raspy but sweet, finding that familiar emotionality that great emo and punk bands vocalists such as Vic Fuentes of Pierce the Veil have.
‘The Feudalist’ follows with a surf-rock energy, a grooving bass-line and rolling guitar riff that feels bright in contrast to the heavy political message beneath criticising the way truth is understood in our modern era. The title of the track along with the lyrics suggests Atlas and the Attic believe society has regressed to a state similar to medieval Europe, in which facts are scattered, and witch hunts reign supreme.
“It doesn’t matter what is true, it’s all about your point of view”.
The track progresses into a very heartening breakdown, impassioned, and rageful. It’s a breakdown reminiscent of other politically charged punk tracks from the likes of Rage Against the Machine. Big, punchy, and mean.
The final in the trifecta of politically minded songs is ‘Polyester City’, the titular track on the EP. It’s immediately slower and lower than ‘The Feudalist’, and feels more complex musically, with an intricate gradual mingling of parts. Particularly enjoyable is the soft, sweet, mournful guitar that when played separately, sounds lonely, and creates that sense of feeling lost and alone in a room full of people, particularly when played in conjunction with the full instrumentation.
It’s in ‘Polyester City’ that these emo roots are embraced, evoking memories of bands such as Taking Back Sunday, and Thursday. There’s also an almost pop sensibility shining through with the melodies and more pared back instrumentation.
Taking a softer turn is ‘Stargazing’, the first track on the album to tackle internal struggles rather than the external. It feels more intimate, both due to the nature of the lyrics, describing moments of solitude amongst the crowd, and the restrained and beautiful music choices. We’re brought through the song with an acoustic guitar, slowly introducing a gentle, angst-ridden piano, and finally breaking through with a big, swelling, climatic moment filled with music. It’s a track that feels dripping in yearning and loss.
Rounding out the album is ‘Prodigal’, an excellent finisher to a powerful, impactful, and heartfelt EP. ‘Prodigal’ has beautiful lyricism that brings to mind the cadence and writing style of Paul Kelly, telling a beautiful, familiar story with that Australian twang that feels nostalgic. The lyrics could make listeners feel homesick even on Australian soil.
This Paul Kelly like lyricism is interwoven with a classic emo instrumentation, with crunchy, busy guitar parts and driving, intricate drums. Atlas and the Attic have captured that feeling of gasping for air on dry land. It’s a feeling few songs give, tracks like Phoebe Bridgers’ ‘To The End’, or My Chemical Romance's ‘The Black Parade’. It feels like a stadium song, a song that’s meant to wash over you in a crowd, to be felt. It’s a song that captures the building angst and anger, and that moment of finally letting it show, exposing it to the world.
Overall, Atlas and the Attic have produced an excellent EP that should be enjoyed by everyone, light tonally, but heavy lyrically, tackling important issues whilst giving a pop-punk energy. It’s bringing back all the best parts of mid-2000’s emo.
STREAM OR BUY 'POLYESTER CITY' ON BANDCAMP, SPOTIFY, AND APPLE MUSIC.