Normally, ‘Silver’ would mean 2nd place, but with this new single from Leeds-based alt-rock/shoegaze band Lozenge, they have surely created a winner.
‘Silver’ is the first single in a new run of 4, and is their first new release since 2024.
From the first bar, the riff is an exercise in restraint – just a couple of notes repeated in a staccato pattern, it rises and falls like a medieval torture device. It returns throughout the track like a cheetah returning to its prey.
There’s a satisfying, rolling groove that makes it impossible to sit still, and distant wailing guitars create a constant tension – it’s a menacing sound that I love. The snare cuts through perfectly and cracks like a Colt .45; the guitars have a crunchy bite of distortion, which is just angry enough.
Joe Collinson’s vocal curls around the track like smoke, a soft and breathy tone that is only just within reach.
It all adds up to a beautifully crisp, rich sound – energetically bubbling away like a witch’s cauldron, with hints of pounding ’90s alt-rock.
The band writes, “Silver portrays emotional depth through abstraction as Collinson’s apprehensive rhetoric seeks comfort in a swirling wash of colour that pulls in every direction”. I have to confess I have no idea what that means, but if I had to guess, I’d say the lyrics can mean different things to different people. To me, the lyrics were pretty bleak and perhaps suggested themes of loss, addiction, and mental health struggles (what do you think?!).
“To be euthanised, gone within the week
Grow your garden, keep the secrets underneath
In the hospital, I think that you’re asleep
Silver suicide, it’s dripping off of me”
Things break down in the final third before an epic buildup that feels like we’re scaling a monstrous volcano – just in time to feel it erupt.
WARNING: Take Lozenge as prescribed. Always read the label. Side effects may include euphoria and a sudden urge to listen to more Lozenge songs.
Written by Grubby
