The Welsh indie legends may recognize that they are closer to the end of their journey than the beginning with their fifteenth studio album, yet amid reflections on the past, they continue to showcase their sharp political edge.
As a band approaching their 40th anniversary, one might assume that Manic Street Preachers have faced and overcome every conceivable challenge. However, as they came together in 2023 to create what would be their fifteenth studio album, they sensed something was amiss. "If you look back to the start, we always had a modus operandi," frontman James Dean Bradfield comments during a phone conversation, tea in hand after the school run on a chilly January morning. "On ‘The Holy Bible’, Richie [Edwards] reflected his disgust back onto the world. With ‘Everything Must Go’, we sought a reason to exist. During ‘This Is My Truth…’, we aimed to explore our inner selves and how we connect with the world. The [2021] album ‘The Ultra Vivid Lament’ represented a snowglobe of a post-lockdown reality.
"But on this current album, we couldn't identify any clear direction. We couldn't craft one. Normally, Nicky [Wire, bassist and lyricist] would have a loose concept, but he couldn’t come up with anything this time." At a crossroads where persistent doubts could have derailed many bands, the Manics drew on their extensive experience, realizing that a sense of danger and discomfort might be just what they required to forge ahead. "Eventually, we thought, 'Let’s see what emerges.' And what did emerge was really a feeling of freedom," Bradfield reflects. "With your fifteenth album, you ought to produce something worthwhile. If you don’t, it just indicates that you've exhausted your ideas and expressed everything you wanted to express."
The resulting album, ‘Critical Thinking,’ showcases that their journey is far from over. Bursting with relentless energy, the band’s talent for creating tender and catchy melodies collides with their drive to produce powerful choruses. Their role as a reflection of the state of progressive politics is also very much present in this work. The title track sees Wire criticize what he perceives as the superficial innocence of the online 'Be Kind' culture. "It’s your lived experience, be your authentic self / Be fitter, be happier, speak your truth," he declares, every line steeped in what Bradfield describes as “resigned sarcasm.” For the band, hollow platitudes of positivity cannot substitute for tangible social action. "As what one might label traditional Valley socialists, we lean towards solid policy initiatives rather than buzzwords," Bradfield states. "I’m simply wary of those snake oil holistic slogans. When someone says ‘be kind’, you can often find them viciously attacking someone online the next day."
As the band known for some of the most politically charged UK number one singles since The Specials’ ‘Ghost Town’—‘If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next’ and ‘The Masses Against The Classes’—their views carry considerable weight. Having boldly identified as working-class and anti-capitalist since their audacious 1992 debut, ‘Generation Terrorists,’ their spirit remains wild. Observing how they adapt as political landscapes shift toward populism and post-truth in the 2020s is captivating.
Given the current discourse so often conducted on largely unregulated social media platforms, Bradfield laments the extent to which our digital existence has shattered social movements. "When it’s as easy to disagree with those who seem to share your perspective as it is to oppose outright adversaries… it’s apparent that something is fundamentally wrong," he expresses. "Politically, that’s where I sometimes find myself." The younger Bradfield could often be seen with a copy of the Socialist Workers Party's ‘Militant’ newspaper, passionately discussing topics like the armed struggle in Northern Ireland. As he approaches 56, he acknowledges that the increasing unwillingness to accept compromise is hindering progress. "The difficulty in disagreeing with one another civilly worries me," he observes. "I don’t mean people can't have extreme opinions, nor should they withhold their views, but the way individuals attack each other doesn’t foster new ideas." Fully engaged in political discourse, he seamlessly shifts the topic to the newly re-elected US president, whom he labels as “just smarter” than his Democratic contender. "Someone might twist that into, ‘He likes Trump; he called him smart’," Bradfield clarifies, "No, I mean it’s disheartening that he was cleverer, had a better strategy. A politician has two responsibilities: to address people's fears and their hopes. Though he lies to achieve that, he still wields power, doesn't he?" He adds that he's observing Keir Starmer “with keen interest,” although he notes a lack of “great affection for him”
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The Welsh indie legends might recognize that they are nearer to the end than the beginning with their 15th studio album, but amid their personal reflections on the time gone by, their political acumen remains as keen as ever.