Bob Vylan have shared a defiant new single called ‘Hunger Games’. Check it out below.
Shared today (January 5), the track marks the first new music from the duo in 2024, and is the latest offering from their upcoming album.
The track holds a political message at its core – with frontman Bobby Vylan using the lyrics to express his frustration at the “economic crisis” happening in the UK, and the hardships faced by those left struggling to afford food.
“‘Hunger Games’ is like a rallying cry for everybody that’s sick of suffering due [to] this economic crisis that we’re living with,” he explained. “‘Cost of living crisis’ makes it sound neat and tidy, but it’s a direct result of years of austerity, politicians that prioritise their selfish desires before the good of the country and a capitalist system that is allowing landlords, and big companies to operate unchecked.”
“It talks about the economic hardships many of us are facing but it doesn’t just leave it there. It offers hope and inspiration,” he added. “It attempts to remind people of the power and worth that we possess despite our financial earnings.”
Check out the new track below.
‘Hunger Games’ comes as the latest taster of Bob Vylan’s upcoming album, ‘Humble As The Sun’. Set to be released on April 5, the album was first announced last October and will be their first new LP since ‘Bob Vylan Presents the Price of Life’, which arrived in 2022.
Available to pre-order here – the band assured fans that the upcoming release will continue with much of the rage and urgency that they have come to be known and loved for, yet see them evolve as songwriters and become “stronger and wiser” with their experience.
It was first announced alongside the brazen lead single ‘He’s A Man’, and followed news that the duo will be performing across the UK and Europe later this year.
A run of shows in UK record stores is planned, as well as a series of tour dates that will see them play alongside Kid Bookie, Panic Shack and Meryl Streek on select dates. Find a full list of tour dates and remaining tickets here.
The lyrics in ‘Hunger Games’ are far from the first time that Bob Vylan have used their platform to speak out against apparent injustices. Back in November, Bob Vylan called out “cowardly” bands Sleaford Mods and IDLES for not speaking out in support of Palestine.
“How the fuck can you call yourself a political left-wing band if you are not fucking speaking up for people that have no voice at the moment?” they said while on stage in Dublin.
“It’s a cowardly fucking thing. So fuck IDLES, fuck Sleaford Mods and fuck every single one of those fucking apolitical bands that don’t want to fucking speak up when there’s something a little bit iffy, a little bit touchy, a little bit sensitive [because they’ve] got a fucking bullshit album to sell. Fuck that. We can’t fucking respect that at all. Fuck them.”