Getdown Services latest album, Massive Champion, blends fellow Bristol, England groups Massive Attack and IDLES, some of the best parts of Gorillaz catalogue, as well as the statements and distinct instrumentals about our modern zeitgeist best found across the Viagra Boys albums into thirteen songs. These thirteen songs clock in at just under forty minutes which might not sound like a lot of time for the duo of Ben Sadler and Josh Law to share a lot of diverse ideas and statements alongside even more diverse and eclectic instrumentals, but they accomplish exactly that.
The record opens with “Poor Bannister”. An analysis on wandering thoughts, public transit, and the ways that we perceive one another in passing is carried by the steady march of acoustic chords and the expressive, almost downtrodden vocals that deliver listeners to track two, “I Can’t Die Like That”. The track’s first lyrics, “Maybe my neck won’t snap if I fill it with snacks,” refer to using and clinging to coping methods regardless of how they might impact you negatively. “I Can’t Die Like That” continues in this theme, sharing with an incredibly British sense of dry humor, feelings of self-pity, and a refusal to die an undignified death. And it’s all delivered by both Sadler and Law with this reserved, monotone pace to their vocals that is equal parts smooth and weighty. The track’s instrumental is wandering and diverse, full of sonic odds and ends that add depth and texture without distracting or impeding the listener’s ability to focus on the song’s themes and lyrics. My personal favorite from the record is track five, “The Radiator”. This track is the grooviest I’ve heard post-punk possibly ever? It’s so easy to move along with, courtesy of its electronic synthesizers, drum loops, and stellar live-sounding percussion. The track’s theme of only picking fights that you know you’ll win, like those against inanimate objects, is elevated by those aforementioned instrumental elements as well as the earworm chorus, “I bang my head on the radiator, I hang my socks on the radiator, I bang my head”.
Getdown Services deliver a well-executed, thoughtful, and fun record on Massive Champion that I would encourage any fans of the bands I listed above, or anyone curious about how members Ben Sadler and Josh Law are approaching their childhood insecurities, managing self-pity, and observing the everyday mundane absurdity of life in 2026.
Massive Champion is out now via Breakfast Records.