DICTATOR

‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’

Dictator are back, and they’re here with a message. Almost a year after releasing their brilliant Rubik’s Cube album, the Scottish foursome have burst back onto the scene with Enough is Enough. It’s a protest song, an inspirational euphoric alt-pop anthem, a fantastically-written and produced celebration of musical unity. It’s all these things and more.

The band describe the track as being “dedicated to those of us who have been told we are worthless and should work more, by corrupt politicians and powerful corporations.” In boldly voicing strong support for strike action and standing up to the political elite, the band are perhaps taking a new direction – but in some ways, there’s no surprise here. Hearing Micheal Campbell soulfully and full-bloodedly voicing the feelings of so many of us just feels right. We’ve always known what Dictator are all about, and now they’ve proved they absolutely live up to expectations, and strive to continuously improve, too.

In Enough is Enough, they’ve masterfully combined euphoric sounds with a firm and timely statement of dissatisfaction. Unlike some “protest songs”, this one never feels forced or out of place, and neither is it dry or uninteresting. On the contrary: it’s hugely joyful and uplifting, as well as deeply satisfying.

The track opens with an infectious beat, a subtle pre-echo of the fuller rhythms to come. The funky bass line jumps in shortly after, and then the first lines of those always soulful vocals, which turn into a rapid paced spitting of direct lyrics.

“Excuse me, don’t accuse me – I’m a champagne socialist, and I think my time has come”, Campbell interjects.

As the track develops, there are fizzy synths, beautifully judged guitar harmonies, rises and falls of energy and volume, and of course more of those haunting and direct vocals.

About two minutes in, the song comes to a false end, a near silence falling; we’re allowed a peaceful interlude, before the music begins to lift again, subtly but relentlessly. Warm pads and arpeggios envelope us and then we’re launched into the final, daring and wide open section.

This is a carefully assembled piece of writing: music and words finely edited and packaged, The result is the perfect anthem for today, capturing the zeitgeist and giving so many of us a voice to rally alongside.

Dictator have taken an important and personally meaningful topic and then done what they always do: crafted something melodic and emotive, woven with lyrical genius. These four guys from Livingston have shown us that we can stand up and protest the status quo, and entirely enjoy ourselves doing it.

The band (vocalist Micheal Campbell, guitarist Zach Tarimo Goodhur, bassist Joe Murty, and drummer Allan Ramsay) are about to embark on a UK tour, so go and catch them if you can – they’re known for putting on a fabulous live show.