Straw Man Army – Earthworks

The third album by Straw Man Army follows 2022’s SOS, marking the end of a chapter for the band. From their debut Age of Exile, these New York anarcho-punks have aimed straight at society’s psyche, examining its issues with the painful legacy of colonialism as a starting point. On their new album, Earthworks, they maintain their ecological themes while looking toward the future, both thematically and sonically.

The new album does not stray from their unique path. Rooted in the melodic tradition of British anarcho-punk, Earthworks follows a line drawn by bands like The Mob, Zounds, Crisis, Flux Of Pink Indians, Omega Tribe, and others. Yet, as true offspring of New York’s underground, Straw Man Army—like local contemporaries The Drin—infuse their sound with post-punk influences such as Wire, The Chameleons, and Mission Of Burma. They also incorporate elements of post-rock, krautrock, jazz, and even Americana (as heard in the closing track “Downstream”), delivering 42 adventurous minutes of music.

Earthworks is defined by melancholic chords and the duo’s calm yet potent vocals, maintaining a simmering tension that could erupt at any moment. Check the rhythmic sections in “Downwind” to experience it firsthand. From the start, with “Look Alive,” the band sets the tone by digging into their artistic wardrobe and pulling out a skeleton of Rudimentary Peni. Like their ideological kin A Culture Of Killing, Straw Man Army isn’t here to craft mere three-minute bursts of charming dissonance and political disobedience. Make no mistake—they’re not distracted by vague or hazy artistic explorations. They stay sharp and deeply political.

In compositions like the driving “Staring At The Sun” or the hypnotic “Mass Production Of Loneliness,” Straw Man Army confronts the dystopian neoliberal reality of today. Earthworks carries a mysterious, modular aura, boldly emerging in more experimental cuts like “Second Nature” or the title track. These songs prove the band can effectively communicate their righteous anger. Earthworks sounds mature, enchants with its melodic lines, and creates a vortex that propels their libertarian, anti-war, and anti-capitalist perspective.

Dual guitar melodies in “Rope Burn,” leading to a particularly gripping second half, show a band capable of raising awareness through relentless sonic assault. Indeed, Earthworks is an anarcho-punk album that captures the present while exposing facets of a terrifying world still in its early stages. Straw Man Army closes this chapter of their discography in full glory, delivering their most complete work to date.

In an era where concepts like punk, underground, and alternative are muddled by ambiguities and relativism, Earthworks, with its audacity and allure, stubbornly proclaims its values. It resonates like a siren of awakening—dramatic, poetic, and impulsive.