Dublin trio BODIES return with ‘Health’, a teaser track teeing up their long-awaited second album, releasing in a couple of weeks. A track born from personal upheaval, ‘Health’ steps into darker territory, reflecting the aftermath of physical trauma and chronic illness with a balance of clarity and discomfort.
Choppy guitars, an urgency in the percussion and an understated vocal grit frame the song, their post-punk charge laced with an inward reflection. There’s an added haze of noughties indie in the palette, but it feels an intentional, forward-looking influence, not a bait of nostalgia. The sound is unsettled, occasionally suspicious of itself, balancing the uneasy in-between of survival, an old life and carving out a new one.
“I felt like I was coming back from the brink of death, but not enough to feel alive,” explains frontman David Anthony, “There was this endless loop of spiritual and mental malaise, and underneath it all, this nagging voice questioning whether I somehow manifested what was happening to me. The song tries to capture that liminal space where you’re not sure if your own perceptions can be trusted.”
Since their 2016 formation, BODIES have steadily harnessed their talents of thoughtful songwriting, moving between periods of visibility and retreat. After the subject matter of ‘Health’ put the band on hold, they’ve returned stronger, with a reformed live band and a serious creative momentum.
Listen to ‘Health’ here…
