The Clockworks – The Entertainment

The breathless opener ‘How To Exist’ takes off at a breakneck pace, as if lyricist James McGregor is banging his head off the wall. The lyrics replicate pacing the floor, this stream of consciousness implying a pent-up frustration. The rapid fire start to The Clockworks second album ‘The Entertainment’ ends abruptly with: “I’m looking for something to believe in”. It lays the groundwork for the rest of the album. Experience has provided The Clockworks with a shift in perspective, inevitable after all as these young men admit their debut album 2023’s ‘Exit Strategy’ came as a result of four lads making a noise in a room. The world keeps turning and experience creates change which in turn seeps into their creativity. Rather than the micro-observations on the debut, McGregor now looks both inward, referencing the human condition, and outward referencing society, the impact of technology and the resulting lack of connection.

Aparently the mood board for this album included the cinematic with Bladerunner, Drive and the works of Fellini prominently displayed. Indeed, a trio of songs, ‘La Dolce Vita’, ‘The Magnificent Seven’ and ‘True Romance’ are named directly after films. The latter is a highlight, a raw and open expose of self: “even the devil in my head has taken to praying”. McGregor gives an impassioned vocal delivery doing full justice to his lyrics which continue to astound with their straightforward complexity. It’s also intriguing to learn that the band played a demo of recent single ‘Well Well Wellness’ alongside a clip from The Bear. Discovering it sat comfortably, The Clockworks were satisfied as both the show and the song reflect the human condition. Taking aim at the multi-million-dollar wellness industry and the irony of its impact, the lyrics again shine: “She doesn’t have a friend she can call in this world without writing a cheque / And if that doesn’t work, you’re doing it wrong / And I hope you get well soon.”  

There are moments of internal reflection too with the melancholy self-delusion of ‘Best Days’ detailing a relationship already doomed to fail, and ‘The Actor’ similarly influenced from looking inward and trying to figure out that age-old question, What is the meaning of life? “Life waves as it passes me by”. The heartfelt contemplation of ‘The Actor’ will resonate with the majority. The quality of McGregor’s songwriting is undeniable, and the lack of overproduction on this album is it’s gift. Guitarist Sean Connelly, drummer Damian Greaney and bassist Tom Freeman have created a soundscape which complements rather than dominates the lyrics. For example there is the heavy foreboding bassline on the tension fuelled ‘Getaway Car’, or the lightness of touch on the buoyant ‘Through The Looking Glass’.  Sonically it is obvious this band has moved on from four lads making a noise in a room.  

On the ‘The Entertainment’s’ artwork, the band are seated in a cinema screen, replicating an old LIFE Magazine cover featuring the first theatre to show 3D films. What then seemed like the broadening of view, developments in technology have now created isolation and disconnection alongside a constant supply of information, both true and false. The Clockworks are observing this dichotomy and questioning it’s impact on both the individual and broader society. On this their second album they have evolved, producing a body of work which presents a band comfortable in their own skin, not afraid to express the deeply personal alongside the frankly ridiculous traits of our contemporary world.  

8/10

Words: Julia Mason

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