Based in Milton Keynes, KC Blackwater are a five-piece punk act led by frontman and songwriter Cam Owden. They’re new to our blog through their relatable new single, Every Time I Clock In (Frances Perkins Rolls In Her Grave.)
By Graeme Smith
First, a history lesson: Frances Perkins was an American workers’ rights activist who served as the US Secretary of Labor in the 1930 and ’40s. She was the first woman to ever hold a cabinet role in the US and was pivotal to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal.
KC Blackwater invoke the historical figure in their new single as a nod to how far we have been cast adrift from those ideals. They mourn it through a frenetic, shouty punk number that feels like a frustrated scream. Its hard edges are tempered by a melodic post-punk verse and its message is cemented during an explosion of a chorus. Truly one for our times, the track tackles subjects as diverse as climate change and social media.
Every Time I Clock In… is out now and you can give it a listen below.