Total Hip Replacement - Would It Be The Same (Self-published)

With its title, the band wonders whether it’s already too late to turn the tide.

For their previous album ‘Anyankofo’, the band travelled to Ghana, and tracks like ‘Watch It Burn’ and ‘Kakum’ still echo that journey. ‘Watch It Burn’ was recorded with the same Ghanaian musicians who collaborated on ‘Anyankofo’ and radiates the vibrant energy of Ghanaian highlife.

Vocalist Victor Hosbond elaborates on the track’s meaning: “We were all very tired of seeing how the consumption party continues, even though everything is spiralling. I wanted to write a song that could express both that anger and criticism quite directly at the people of power and wealth. At the same time, we want to make music that can unite and give hope, so that’s what ‘Watch It Burn’ is to me: an outlet for anger, but also an anthem that calls to action. For that action to happen, the older generations must take responsibility or get out of the way!”.

‘Kakum’ takes its name from Ghana’s Kakum National Park, where Total Hip Replacement recorded natural soundscapes that are woven into the song.

Other standout tracks include ‘Tremors’, the incredibly soulful first single from the album; the anti-capitalist manifesto ‘Out Of Sight’, a harder-hitting steppers-inspired tune; the dub-infused ‘The Edge’, seeing the band tackle rising intolerance and xenophobia in Western society, and finally, the stellar ‘False Memories’, a tale of a dystopian society driven by fear and led by dishonest politicians, in which the trumpet solo by Guiding Star Orchestra’s Malthe Kaptain particularly shines.