Real Lies
“North Circular”
North Circular / Dab Housing (out this summer on Marathon Artists)
This is big one. The London trio’s affecting ode to the 25.7-mile stretch of road that borders the northern part of their city is a gently disarming number that beautifully meanders like the steady flow of midnight headlights. Reminiscent of Mike Skinner’s seminal “Weak Become Heroes” — still one of my 20 favorite tracks of all-time — “North Circular” feels like a massive achievement. It could be the incredibly rare song that distills experiences and feelings of a particular generation in the way that Skinner did 12 years ago.
It beautifully sums up the possibility and the ennui of growing up in suburban sprawl — the melancholy joy of cruising down your streets with your people with fuck all to do. Topped off with a shuffling backbeat, graceful synths, and a far-away guitar line, “North Circular” is the perfect soundtrack for the muted euphoria of a late-night drive through the a-road pubs, petrol stations, and suicide bridges of our suburban childhoods. While my streets may lay more than 5,000 miles to the west, for these 4-and-a-half minutes, the North Circular certainly feels like home.
