Living State Releases ‘Black White Man’
Today, New Zealand based hard rockers Living State release their second single Black White Man to a post-lockdown world never more ready for a healthily angsty anti-work anthem.
The independent band’s relentless new song was recorded at Neil Finn’s Roundhouse Studios in Auckland. It was engineered by Scott Seabright and produced by Greg Haver, before being sent to the UK for mixing by Clint Murphy, then onto the USA for mastering by Ryan Smith.
The release is supported by a must-see music video that gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “deadline”, portraying the hilarious misadventures of a man who is such a slave to the corporate grind that not even an untimely demise will prevent him from trying to turn in his report on time. The video stars the founder of The New Zealand Stage and Screen Combat School, Alexander James Holloway, was written by Alex Bain, and directed by John Whiteside.
Black White Man is in equal parts a rallying cry and wakeup call for the overworked. This energetic follow up to their debut single One Sided is just the first of many exciting releases and surprises the band has in store for 2023. If you don’t know them yet, this is the year they’ll make sure you never forget the name Living State.
Written by Marissa about a previous boss who would pretend to not care about the company but in practice, would bend over backwards to suck the corporate teat to the extreme. The lyrics express Marissa’s frustration toward, and pity of, this middle manager so stuck in his ways.
Living State is bringing back solid rock, importing a classic Euro-rock style to the antipodes. Combining textured guitar riffs and clean, powerful vocals, Living State play hard rock that rocks hard, with a few more musically complicated moments to give you a taste of just how much potential these up-and-comers still have to tap.
The four piece have been making a place for themselves in the local live scene with tight instrumentation, shredding solos, soaring vocals, and a dash of well-timed humour.
Their previous single One Sided was a catchy head-nodder that does what the band does best – let you vent your frustrations while getting a good hook stuck in your head. Acclaimed critic Kev Rowland of MNZ described it as “Commercial hard rock with plenty of hooks, solid musicianship, and great vocals, this is killer. Oh, and the video is great as well, and it even has a storyline!”, giving the single 5 stars and including it in his list of Top 10 singles of 2021.
