It is clear The Margaret Hooligans are not about polish. They embrace the raw, the energetic, the distortion, and weave it together with drums that tap into the tribal emotion living inside us all. No subject is taboo, and every serious subject can be viewed through the lens of the absurd.
The single, Oh Lord Hit It, is one that demands close listening. This is not something you turn on in the background as musical wallpaper, the Hooligans want your attention and sink in with their teeth like a needy dog. First, there is something both old and familiar and yet new about their music. They use live tracking recording techniques rather than the dry studio recordings that flood the airwaves these days which gives them a sense of being thrown back to the days of great studio recording during the 60s and 70s, where a great take is about energy and feel, rather than a hermetically sealed recording that’s been biogenetically engineered to be sonically castrated. That in itself, is unique in these days of digital recording. The drums are present and upfront, energetic and dominant in the track and Meg uses an electric baritone ukulele (one of the few that are in existence) to create wailing tones of fuzz that sound kinda right and kinda wrong. She creates a groove in the pocket to Strontium’s frenetic percussion which has a depth to its tonal variety and is reminiscent of great Latin drumming. The lyrics are sparse because the groove tells the story, but Meg gets straight to the point by telling you that you’re “always fucking it up.”
Everything about this band is a bit of a throwback to a bygone era but it is infused with storytelling that is of our time. Meg imagines the life of a disenchanted dilettante, unhappy with her life choices who turns to the bottle to numb the pain. No matter what she tries, she is always messing up her life, and it would be sad if the refrain wasn’t so damn catchy. The lyrical melody line makes it impossible for the verse to feel tragic, so it’s almost as if there is a happy resignation to the plot, the way we commit ourselves to rooting for evil characters that we can’t help liking.
Oh Lord Hit It is the second single from their upcoming sophomore album, Turntable Tribulations, due out in October.
lyrics
Oh Lord hit it
Hey
Said you weren't going to dress for the party
Fucking it up fucking it up
You said it made you look downhearted
Fucking it up she's always fucking it up
Walking around cocktail in your hand
Fucking it up she's always fucking it up
Hit it now
Thought you were the leader of the band
Fucking it up she's still fucking it up
Never wanted to do harm
Always coasting on your charm
Ohh
Reciting your lines, your daily excuses
Fucking it up she's still fucking it up
For your latest thoughtless abuses
Fucking it up always fucking it up
The bottle leaves you no more ruses
Never wanted to do harm
Always coasting on your charm
Domestic life ain't for you
No no no no
No no no no no no yes
Never gonna keep you down
Oh but sir this actually happened to me
Fucking it up fucking it up fucking it up
Fucking it up fucking it up fucking it up
Can't do right always do wrong
Even when you try
The more you try the worse it gets
Fucking it up
Never gonna keep you down
Never gonna lift me up
Down
Never gonna keep you down
Never gonna lift me up
Down
Never gonna keep you down
Never gonna lift me up
Never gonna keep you down down down
Never gonna lift me up I say
Never wanted to do harm
Always coasting on your charm
Domestic life ain't for you… no no no no
No no no no no no
Ohhh
Keyser soze
Get off the bad foot
Ding dong ding dong
Kinky kong
Kong kong kong kong
Regal my beagle Stanley
Oh Lord
Check it
credits
released May 6, 2022
Meg Cratty: vocals, electric baritone ukulele
Mr. Strontium: back up vocals, drums/percussion
Written by the Margaret Hooligans
Produced by Mr. Strontium
Mixed and Mastered by Jon Huxtable, Smallfish Recordings, Edinburgh, UK
Photo Credit and album artwork: Melissa Nannen
We are The Margaret Hooligans: One woman (electric ukulele, lead vocals), one man (drums, teapot, back up vocals), forming one band that incorporates garage rock, funk, and soul to create a swirl of sloppy transcendence.
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