Some bands write songs, other bands manage to inject the essence of an entire novel into a sub-five minute piece of music. London purveyors of debauch Dead Writers have managed the second feat on new single ‘Lisa’, a magnificent, vaudevillian chronicle inspired by ‘Notes From The Underground’ that recounts a Dostoevsky-style tale set in pre-revolution Russia, “the story of isolation, self-reliance and eventual salvation of Lisa – the ultimate quiet strategist”.
A deceptively jaunty piano line makes way for harrowing guitar and bittersweet, elegiac lyrics which in turn make way for a brash, unforgettable chorus, then the entire shebang becomes a lawless knees-up in some 1920s backstreet Montmartre jazz cabaret, frontman Paul Shine captaining the whole affair with the effortless finesse of Patrick Duff (Strangelove) or Brett Anderson (Suede) at the height of their powers.
‘Lisa’ was released on 9th December and is available on all streaming platforms right now. And if you’re mesmerised by Dead Writers wonderful latest single then you have to check out it’s incredible video that manages to bring Lisa’s tale to vivid life: