If you are looking for answers to the question posed by UK-based Silicone Values on their debut full length How To Survive When People Don’t Like You And You Don’t Like Them, look elsewhere. This is no self-help guide – Silicone Values provide no tips and tricks, nor do they sugarcoat their boiled-up frustrations. “Don’t wanna live in society,” they sing in one song, “Why do all the assholes never get what they deserve?” in the other. The tracklist reads like chapters in a dystopian novel, uplifting this is not.
But despite all the dread and anger, and however bleak the picture Silicone Values paint is, the songs are appealing. The sound of Silicone Values originates in late ‘70s and early ‘80s UK. It is punk by design and attitude, direct and stripped down. But it also harbors underground pop and postpunk elements – Silicone Values just as easily use a drum computer as infuse their songs with a pop hook – for example, listen to Bystander Apathy or Streaming TV (a song we previously covered). The more time you spent with this record, the catchier it becomes, and I recommend holding off judgment until you’ve heard more than a couple of songs.
How To Survive When People Don’t Like You And You Don’t Like Them compiles the digital singles the Bristol band released between June 2020 and July 2023. A major thank you to Nico of Parisian label SDZ Records who believed that the string of singles deserved a physical release on vinyl. I totally agree!
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp