Terrible Sons Shares “The World is Walking Over Us”
November 20, 2020 BY Nettwerk
” A tender outpouring of heartwarming alt-folk…” – Atwood Magazine
New Zealand husband/wife duo Terrible Sons (Matthew and Lauren Barus) share new song “The World is Walking Over Us” from their upcoming EP Mass, out February 12, 2021. A call to action in a time when the divide between rich and poor is getting wider and wider, the song wraps around the listener, with the trumpet and a marching beat mirrored by guitar and piano. Matt and Lauren’s voices come together with an almost simmering strength – a frustration transformed into song. “The World is Walking Over Us” is available on all digital retailers HERE.
The duo explains, “We want to engage more in our exterior world and not just be songwriters who constantly go over their interior worlds. In this song, we’re thinking about how we, humans, mess up our world; we can’t seem to move away from inequality in some form or another, and we think that material things will be fulfilling, and so we put so much hope in owning things. We’re alright with trampling each other if it gets us further. I suppose we’re saying serving yourself will mess up not only yourself but others, and it’s a plea to change that.”
The pair announced their new EP last month with the release of the infectious lead single, “You Are the Gold,” which lyrically contains the emotional weight of a love song while musically exuding the energy of a dance track. The standout electric guitar, which is rare for the pair, brings a shimmering magnetic quality as the piano riff carries through to the end, highlighting their indie pop roots.
It’s clear from the start that an evolution has taken place with Terrible Sons’ new EP Mass. From taking cues from folk tradition by singing their own version of a protest song to involving each other in their writing processes early on, Mass establishes a stronger connection between Terrible Sons and the world at large, while also signifying a more cohesive sound thanks to their more connected writing partnership. Producer Tom Healy (Tiny Ruins) took the organic, analog, and acoustic sounds Terrible Sons are known for, and warped them to a perfect degree of idiosyncrasy — harmonies were played in reverse and stacked, brass and organ made appearances, and layers of percussion were added for a louder, more dynamic rhythmic texture.
Mass was made in true collaborative spirit, between friends and family, and it comes at a time when collectivity has never been more relevant. At its core, Mass is about resilience, about making your voice heard, even if it seems the world isn’t listening.
Terrible Sons is the moniker for husband/wife duo Matthew and Lauren Barus, who work and live with their two children in an intentional community near Christchurch, NZ. While the music they’ve made in the past has reflected the intimate and bucolic warmth that wraps around their family, Terrible Sons has never shied away from revealing the more vulnerable feelings that define us all: heartbreak, loneliness, exhaustion.
