Features

Irish punk quartet Audible Joes will be releasing their sophomore album this Friday. "Irrational Anthems" comes with eleven blistering tracks that are gritty one moment, melodic the next and well... pretty damn good overall. Bassist/vocalist Alex Dinan describes the new album as "A collection of experiences and viewpoints, that contrasts social commentary with introspective lyrics. A hard hitting Punk Rock mémoire, captured in 30 minutes of authentic energy." We asked vocalist/guitarist Mick and guitarist/vocalist Ella to take us by the hand and guide us through their irrational anthems.

Irrational Anthems

Mick: This is a knee to the face of nationalism. What separates us is not where we're from, but what we're really told. It's a celebration of who you are but not where you are from.

For all I know

Ella: For all I know is a statement to myself, questioning my integrity as a person and trying to understand the mistakes I've made in my life. It means 'for all I know, I know nothing'. I'm not an idiot but I've made some some thick mistakes. The song is no longer relevant, but getting it written and out there was in itself a struggle. The song helped me overcome everything that is behind the meaning of the track, as though I could not move on from a particular area of my life without unmasking myself, to myself.

Born Again Cynic

Mick: I wrote this song about an old friend who found God, moved away and got married before he was 21. This song represents my shock, confusion and opposition to some of his life choices, but by the same token, it represents my hope that he does not live to regret them.
 

I Wanna Be Affected

Mick: One day, I was watching the news. I was listening to this beautifully dressed woman tell me all about the terrible things that were going on in the world that day. As I watched this montage of hell on earth, I realised I had become desensitised to the struggles of people across the world. Looking back, it makes me feel guilty. I Wanna feel anger . I Wanna feel sorrow.  I Wanna Be Affected.  

Speaker Submission

Mick: Sound is all I have. The song is about taking solace and comfort in the music that drives you and keeps you moving forward.

Majority Rule

Mick: This is a song about working your ass off for something you don't really give a shit about. I guess it can apply to a lot of things; a dead end job, a college degree your never gonna use, impressing people you don't even like. Not because you want to, but because somebody told you to.  Do what you want. You won't be here much longer.

Consumerism

Consumerism is about being trapped in a society where you don't matter and the purpose you serve is less than fulfilling. You are replaceable in the same way the material possessions you indulge in are replaceable or disposable. Life is not as superficial as we make it, but its easier to play the game of the rat race we're caught up in than to go against the grain and live life on your own terms. The wage makes it okay.

Nyktophobia

Mick: No matter how far you run from somebody, you will never escape that feeling of love/hate/anger/fear/self assurance/doubt/pride/guilt/joy/sorrow/pain/ecstacy that follows you like the darkness around you at night. The misspelling was intentional, I swear.

Guillotine

Ella: This song is about losing your head (as the name suggests). It is the anger that comes with your own most negative view of yourself and embracing it as a part of who you are, be it past or present. You are who you are. All you can do is move forward and better yourself, if you really want to be better, or just understand yourself as you are if you don't intend on changing. You have nothing to prove to anyone but yourself and you should try and meet your own expectations.

Snakes

Mick: I tend to write about the things around me, and there are snakes everywhere.  You probably know a few; the ones that dangle a raise in front of you like a fucking carrot, the ones that take advantage of your trust. They promise you the world, but just post you the bill for it. If we stick together, they're more afraid of us than we are of them.

Until I die

Ella: Until I die is about my lifestyle and all that comes with it, from what I do with my spare time, to my points of view. Until I die came about when I was engulfed in misery but managed to find solace in the streets and being in my own neurotic company. The song means a lot to me and is one of my favourites to play because of that. It reminds me of a point in my life that gave me direction. It's not the kind of direction most people would consider to adhere to but it suited me and still does to this day. You can't trust that anyone will look out for you so you should look out for yourself and if you can find it in yourself to look out for others even if that favour is not returned, you should! If anything, when you leave this earth you can be satisfied in knowing that you've tried to make others lives better at your own expense, while not expecting anything return.