Lookers Are Not Above Vengeance on Their Single “Bury You Under” [Premiere]

For a first single from a debut record, Lookers sound awfully sure of themselves. Today, they reveal “Bury You Under,” a gritty, multi-dimensional introduction to their first album, Deeper. This is a coming-out party of sorts for the Rhode Island noise pop group. “Bury You Under” is noteworthy for several reasons, but what really makes this song stand out is its originality and assuredness.

With its many layers and gritty production, you’d think Lookers were on album four or thereabouts. It’s a confident sound from a confident band that believes in the music they are making. Even the lyrics of “Bury You Under” speak to that confident approach with lines such as “They didn’t stop you then / They won’t stop me now.” It’s a promise against oppressors, a seed to plant or bury that will eventually grow and flourish.

Commenting on the song, the band states:

“So many have not been stopped in time, are right now not being stopped in time. Here we lean into our vengefulness. This song speaks to the fantasy of a moment—when we have all the cards and now we get to play them. The desire for revenge in this lone voice is immediately joined, supported, so that, blended in the beat, it brings us to a turning of the tide, when ‘they’ connect into an unendingly defiant ‘us,’ and we win. We win against apathy, and the violent, quiet void.”

The release of “Bury You Under” is the first step towards the release of Deeper, which is set for release on April 25th via Almost Ready Records. As this single suggests, this will be an album that is diverse but decisive in nature. Although it’s a debut album, singer Muggs Fogarty and guitarist and frontman Rafay Rashid go way back. They have been writing songs together since the 2010s, which prepared them well for the recording of Deeper. Well connected to their local scene, they recruited some notable and worthwhile musicians from the Providence area to round out the band. These include bassist/violinist Florence Wallis, guitarist Nick Politelli, and drummer Bryan Fielding. Wallis played in The Low Anthem, Politelli with Ravi Shavi, and Fielding previously of Thug Honey.

Lookers ‘Deeper’ album artwork, by Mary Lindberg

Deeper was a group effort, but much of it was spearheaded by Fogarty’s words and Rashid’s musical instincts. Thematically, the record speaks to the complexities of desire and all facets of it. The thrills, the desperations, the anxiety, the agony of it. It’s a very worthwhile first effort from a band with a clear direction.

Deeper Track Listing:

1. Midnight TV Dinner
2. Deeper
3. Animal
4. Alone
5. Bury You Under
6. Body Bag
7. Depressed
8. Thing
9. Crisis
10. Dead