Church of Non-Believers new single Cover Your Mouth starts with a grandiose premise and drizzles some luscious electronics into the sonic palette.

Although delightfully declaring themselves as musically fluid, and a band peering over at the wall at the side of Hull’s prominent post-punk and indie scene, Church of Non-Believers would certainly appeal to the regular New Adelphi crowd with their eclection of soul, art-rock, post-rock, and a marinade of electro-pop. Their new single Cover Your Mouth declares via a concoction of 90s crooning and a vibrant electronic undercurrent that “Our language is meaningless”. The fundamental premise of dystopian fiction is that you pick a problem you can see in the contemporary world and take it to its logical or absurd conclusion in the future. You can read into the Cover Your Mouth as an expansion on George Orwell’s premise of Newspeak or as the conclusion of cancel culture in which the future is a place where speech and words themselves are banished. This is the basic proposition of the song, which is certainly interesting and extremely relevant. Sonically, Cover Your Mouth is relaxing and charming in the way that the lofi-realm of Bandcamp quite often is, but I am hesitant in accepting the twinkling and luscious wave of electronics paired with a calming croon satisfy me completely.

With such a strong premise, I think conviction behind it is what would really drive the song home for me as a piece I could rage about. Maybe, presenting a paradox of apathetic electronics on top of passionate crooning could highlight the exploration of the absurdity within the story. Furthermore, maybe a commanding vocal delivery would provide a sense of what the tyrannical authority over language could cause. Alternatively, an anxious delivery could instigate the fear of what rebelling against such authority might do. The end product feels sarcastic and apathetic, which could be a presentation of irony and satirical humour, but unfortunately, in that regard, I don’t think Church of Non-Believers quite pull it off.

Please do not be put off from the critical analysis I have put forward though, I only do so because the band is worth your time (even if for simply trying to present a grandiose idea) for delivering a solid and soothing post-rock track. I look forward to future releases and increased commitment in the presentation, experimental drive and really nailing a satisfying story or idea. You should look forward to future releases too, because when a band attempts to create a groove away from the usual path the world gets a little better.

3/5

Find Church of Non-Believers on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/churchofnonbelieversband

Find the music video here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipRcis3pcls

Find the song on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/album/62p6z1aedvCu4umRRSCJaO?si=8zPOjJHpSV-I-LrDRv3FKg

Written by Joshua Ingham