Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos - Morning Tourist - The Roadside Bandits Project
Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos - Once And For All.
World-renowned goth trio Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos (Costa Rica) have shared ‘Once and For All’ the second video-single from their latest album, FRACTALS. The new album is the band’s sixth full-length studio album, amidst a string of releases tracing back to their inception one decade ago.
Asked about the new single, bandleader Ariel Maniki says:“…‘Once and For All’ is a difficult song to explain. But I can tell you that there was a long writing process behind it, so the ideas, inspirations, and meanings that went into it changed and grew over that time. It started as a song in Spanish, and was initially written from a very dark and personal place, hence the remaining Spanish chorus: “Hiéreme de Muerte (wound me to death)”. But I changed the other lyrics and music many times, to a point where it’s now difficult to pinpoint exactly what it is about. It touches on themes of loneliness, abandonment, and depression… wanting it all to end, and wanting to escape… being sick and tired of liars and fake people… just generally growing tired of everything.”
Both the song’s chorus en Español and Maniki’s rapidly strummed acoustic guitars can be traced in part to a family background growing up around classical Spanish guitar players in Costa Rica. Fans of post-punk, darkwave, and early goth will also hear nods to the late, great John McGeoch’s guitar work for Siouxsie and the Banshees’ ‘Spellbound’, and the fluttering jangle of Frank Weyzig and Ronny Moorings on early Clan of Xymox records. Lines can also be drawn to the iconic Daniel Ash of Bauhaus on ‘The Passion of Lovers’ and ‘Slice of Life’, or the Flamenco-flavoured classical guitar of Robert Smith and Pearl (née Porl) Thompson for The Cure’s ‘The Blood’.
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Blending nostalgic ‘90s childhood animations with sharp cultural commentary on the state of the world today, the new video for “Honey” was made by Sam Brentnall and sees a cartoon version of Sean McKinney (aka Morning Tourist) take a leading role.
Speaking of the new video, McKinney explains: “The song kind of explores arrested development in the face of adult responsibility, so it seemed a fitting idea that we went with a Saturday morning cartoon-style animation with me as a child. We not-so-subtly had toys resemble contemporary cultural figures and symbols that proceed to freak out and anger my young avatar.”
Depicting the likes of Boris Johnson, Kim Kardashian and Joe Biden amongst a sea of nostalgic childhood toys, the video also takes subtle aim at social media and commercial giants like Amazon through its troublesome and twisted take on dystopia. Morning Tourist adds: “I think [the video] does a great job of portraying the chaotic and duplicitous nature of modern culture and politics, and the way that can drive people’s emotions. Sam did amazing work with the idea and I can’t wait for people to see it.”
A staple in Morning Tourist’s live set and a firm favourite for the band to play at shows, “Honey” is a laid-back alternative-folk track seasoned with sweet harmonies and swelling acoustic guitars ripe for the season. However, gaze through the track’s golden veneer and you’ll find a track that smarts with the sting of dejection and resignation that can consume even the best of us when the world gets too much.
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Following the release earlier this year of their single Down Down, as featured on BBC Introducing & Amazing Radio’s Roots & Indie playlists, The Roadside Bandits Project release NOTHiNG – the second single from their upcoming sophomore album The Siberian Candidate.
This time with Gang of Four’s John Sterry on vocals (and co-writer of the track), NOTHiNG, with its dark and atmospheric opening verse, tells a story of need, asking for help and the resultant stress and mental health issues that can arise from such a situation. “When I said I had nothing, are you gonna catch me when I fall” sings Sterry as the group’s main-man, London based Spanish Canarian Santi Arribas creates a blues infused sonic landscape through his tastefully understated guitar playing.
Arribas explains his inspiration behind the track as follows: “I wrote it in a minor blues format to establish a sad and soulful tone over which John & I laid the lyrics. It’s about the cost of living crisis and plays off the UK Prime Minister’s comment about the country needing more people to learn maths”.
The Roadside Bandits Project is the brainchild of Santi Arribas whose career in music has spanned record production and mixing, through to club / venue sound design for the world-famous Ministry of Sound and more. His creative influences include classic guitarists like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Johnson and BB King, as well as the blues and psychedelia genres as a whole. On the visual front, Arribas cites realist Edward Hopper’s 1920’s urban themed paintings as a point of inspiration for some of his output but also has a love for the output of Dutch photographer / film director Anton Corbijn.
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