London-based punk band Shooting Daggers took advantage of their support slot during Refused‘s final UK tour by asking vocalist Dennis Lyxzén if he’d consider working with them. The Swedish hardcore singer agreed and he’s not only a guest vocalist on their new single ‘Glow’, but he also appears on the accompanying video too.
“This track is about denouncing gender roles and respecting gender identity,” said the band. “Self-liberation, embracing femininity and fighting internal misogyny. Feminine isn’t weak, and masculine doesn’t have to be stereotypically strong.
“It doesn’t matter if you want to express strength in a more masculine or feminine way, anything is valid as long as you feel powerful from within. When we wrote this song, we knew who we wanted to have a feature on it and we were just back from opening two shows for punk legends Refused and all of us were mesmerised by Dennis Lyxzén’s stage presence.”
Lyxzén himself commented: “We brought Shooting Daggers with us for a couple of shows last year on the final Refused tour. They were great of course. Radical and fun and they just seemed like great people. When they asked me if I wanted to sing on a track for their new album I did not hesitate for one second. It was a complete honour to be a part of this album and I am very much looking forward to seeing what Shooting Daggers do next.”
The video for ‘Glow’ was inspired by the Netflix TV show of the same name that starred Alison Brie and focused on an all-women’s wrestling company in the 80s. Directed by Corey Eyres, it was filmed in a local gym in Deptford called Commando Temple who kindly provided the band with the space. The Pride in Strength group allowed the band to film them during one of their workshops and four wrestlers from the queer wrestling company Fist Club took time to come over and film scenes and even taught the band to wrestle.
You can stream the single and check out the video below.
‘Glow’ will also appear on Shooting Daggers‘ new mini-album, ‘The Real Life Thing’, due 5th June via New Heavy Sounds. It comes two years on from debut album ‘Love & Rage’, with the band playing shows and lending their support to myriad causes all around the UK and Europe in the meantime.
Recorded at Bear Bites Horse Studio with Wayne Adams (Big Lad, Green Lung), ‘The Real Life Thing’ features seven songs over 20 minutes of driving rocket-fuelled punk meets melody. Fans are promised fierce energy, variety and cool musical nous, but always with a message firmly at its core.
“It’s a crucial time to focus on what really matters,” said Shooting Daggers. “Be present, be aware of real things happening in the world. With integrity and love we can make a difference as a community. There is hope out there, and if we all start treating nature, people and animals with respect and empathy we will be able to become better humans and coexist.
“In this mini album, we express the full range of our emotions through various sounds and genres. From cheerfulness to anger and hopefulness. From hardcore punk, to shoegaze, to post-hardcore and riot grrrl.
“We embrace our authentic selves, with sensitivity in response to injustice, we act out, and all the while savouring every moment, being unapologetically yourself, empowering ourselves and each other. With the help of some very special guests in the form of The Menstrual Cramps and Dennis Lyxzén from Refused, that message is driven home big time.”
‘The Real Life Thing’ will be released on limited edition shiny black vinyl and digitally.
