April 14, 2021 | 4:01pm ET
Last fall, London punk five-piece Chubby and the Gang signed to Partisan Records and revealed that they were penning a new album. Now, the band returns to the spotlight to share “Lightning Don’t Strike Twice”, a brand new single available as a 7-inch that will also supposedly appear on their next record. Stream it below.
“Lightning Don’t Strike Twice” is a riveting dose of pub rock set to the tune of class struggles. Across the song’s three-minute runtime, Chubby and the Gang sprint through punk riffs with enough gang hollers and zippy guitar lines to recall Thin Lizzy. That vibe comes to life in the single’s accompanying music video. During it, the band can be seen performing the track in a tiny internet cafe with the type of reckless abandon that warrants a sloshy beer toast.
In a statement, singer Charlie Manning explained that he wrote the lyrics after witnessing the social inequality taking place around him. “I feel like the whole premise of poverty is presented like this game in which if you play your cards right you can escape,” he said. “In reality, it’s more like playing a game of dice when they’re loaded against your favor. Constantly being struck by lightning and being told that it will never happen again. I remember witnessing someone’s telephone voice where they had to change their phone voice when conducting business or applying for jobs so they don’t come across as if they are from a lower class. I wrote the last verse about that because it disgusted me that in a system supposedly created on meritocracy a human being has to change their identity to try and shake unemployment.”
Related Video
“Lightning Don’t Strike Twice” is the A-side to a new 7-inch due out May 28th. Both this new single and the B-side track, “Life’s Lemons”, will be included on Chubby and the Gang’s as-yet-untitled follow-up to their debut album, Speed Kills. Pre-orders for the 7-inch are ongoing at their Bandcamp. Check out the artwork for it after the jump.
