Founded sometime in late 2012, The Penny Serfs are back with the emotionally charged LP Politics in the Time of Heroin, the follow up to Like Eating Glass. Politics in the Time of Heroin was released on January 26th, 2018, and is now available for review. Listeners can find it on Spotify and Apple Music. For additional information, please visit:www.facebook.com/ThePennySerfs
On the new album, the band shared: “Politics in the Time of Heroin is a fiery memorandum of the state of the world as seen by The Penny Serfs; smashed between catchy songs, and moody vibes.”
After five years of cultivating the lean energy necessary for the stage, members Mikey Loy, Stu Tenold, Kyle Lewis, and Aiden Landman faced the ultimate fight: singer Mikey received life threatening injuries that jeopardized the bands very existence. After a long recovery, Mikey and the band is back stronger than ever.
Songs like “Lonely Boy” and “Don’t Hug Me” explore the deep dark secrets of loneliness and depression, forcing Mikey to look directly into the mirror and access every part of his life. At the same time, they try to find meaning in the backward trending political environment that is a grotesque caricature of what being alive is suppose to be about. In the politically charged tune “Ode to Franklin D. Roosevelt,” the lyrics “you sold your soul to everybody and made the whole world melancholy,” is a somber truth on the division and bizarre political atmosphere in the United States.
In a climate such as now, some of us have scars, new wounds and problems to solve, but it has made the members of The Penny Serfs stronger. With every hit of the drums, Kyle Lewis is putting his heart into his music. “I have nothing left to lose,” he explains.
Stu Tenold plays every key with feel and emotion, crafting musically deep layers into every song. On “Somebody Else,” Stu plays an elegant piano piece giving the song the information needed to communicate the losses and insecurities most of us feel on any given day.
Bassist Aiden Landman is the glue, or “The Wizard” as some people call him on tour, locking the songs in place. Emotionally driven songs, following the inspiration of the likes of John Lennon with a twist of Kurt Cobain have given the ‘Serfs a rugged edge with a vulnerability that keeps everyone, including the band members on their toes. Who knows what will happen?
Facing mortality, the band has chosen to push through the struggle and create what makes them complete: music. Music that sings of pain with loud guitars. Music that brings catharsis. The future is bright for The Penny Serfs as they stare into the darkness.
