New, New Order and that has to be a good thing. Be a Rebel, which seems to be a stand alone single. It's immediately, recognisably them. This is a band that has never actually, to my ears at least, put out anything bad in a forty year career now, even if on occasion they have seemed to run on the spot.
So how does this sound. In many ways it just sounds like good New Order, another one off the production line. It's a song that can run its almost five minute length and not seem to say much but if you like the band you'd be more than happy to go back to the beginning again and listen once more.
That's great credit to them. This is pristine, metallic, melodic, confident. On first listen it seems like bog standard NO. Nothing special. Then you play it again and realise that this is exactly what makes it so special. There's no Peter Hook here of course but the other three founding members are present and there's no way you could point out any feature of Be a Rebel and say this is what is lacking because Hooky's not there. It's sad that he isn't but this is definitively New Order. They're among the last Punks still standing. They're still working by their founding principles and that's great to hear. One of the songs of the year.
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