New Model Army address the Post Office Horizon scandal with the new song ‘I Did Nothing Wrong’ which will be released with their forthcoming new album Unbroken on January 26th via earMUSIC.
The powerful folk-rock song captures the anguish that swept across Britain following the shocking events while also focusing on the ever-mounting pressures from an increasingly digitised world.
Speaking about ‘I Did Nothing Wrong’ frontman Justin Sullivan says, “It’s quite extraordinary to many millions of us Brits that, years after the Post Office scandal became common knowledge, the deliberate delaying of any proper justice still continues. ‘I Did Nothing Wrong’ was actually written a couple of years ago, taking the scandal as its storyline and then taking a broader swipe at the brutal, binary, digitized world that we are stupidly allowing to replace normal human interactions.”
The lyrics of ‘I Did Nothing Wrong’ read:
I did nothing wrong, I did nothing wrong
I was always straight and honest as the days were always long
I loved the job, I loved to help the people
I did nothing wrong, they found me in the morning
Asleep in a sea of paper, coffee stains and bits of paper
Failed sums and bits of paper and nothing still resolved
Tick the boxes only, only ones and zeros
Only tick the boxes, winners and losers only
Only right or wrong, innocent or guilty only
I stare at numbers and stare at the screen
I stare at numbers and stare at the walls closing in
Machines do not lie, machines cannot lie
The company men arrive, business suits and poker faces
I offered what I could, but I am under suspicion
Somebody knows what’s going on, somebody isn’t saying
The strategies of money, multiply with others paying
And everything decided higher up the chain
I stare at numbers and stare at the screen
I stare at numbers and stare at the walls closing in
The circuits, the logic, it follows, it follows…
That if you like that you’re going to love this
If you bought that, you’re going to buy this
If you followed that, you’re going to follow this
If you agreed with that you can agree with this
If you like that you’re going to love this
If you bought that, you’re going to buy this
If you swallowed that, you’re going to swallow this
If you agreed with that you can agree with this
And oh, the numbers game and the losers to take the blame
And the acrid smell of fear, it seeps in everywhere
I did nothing wrong, I told them in the courtroom
Now the sound of prison metal, the sound of closing gates
And worst of all the sound of footsteps receding
——
Justin’s articulate worldview sits at the heart of Unbroken – both emotionally and politically. The subjects and moods are variable, creating a diverse collection of tracks which touch on topics ranging from social and political commentary to deeply personal reflections.
Written and recorded over quite a long period of time, with the process interrupted by both the delayed 40th Anniversary shows and the Sinfonia live orchestral project, Unbroken is a quintessential New Model Army album, full of guitars but with the emphasis, as ever, on the rhythmic power of bass and drums, as the band continue to push the boundaries of their signature sound while staying true to their heart.
Unbroken will be released on CD Hardcover Mediabook, Heavyweight Black LP Gatefold, Ltd. Heavyweight Red LP Gatefold and on Digital.
PRE-ORDER UNBROKEN HERE
UNBROKEN TRACK LISTING
- First Summer After
- Language
- Reload
- I Did Nothing Wrong
- Cold Wind
- Coming Or Going
- If I Am Still Me
- Legend
- Do You Really Want To Go There?
- Idumea
- Deserters
New Model Army will be touring Unbroken throughout the UK & Europe this year with shows starting on February 27th. The band will also be holding three special Q&A appearances across select UK independent record stores during album release week. Full dates, more information and tickets for all shows can be found at https://www.newmodelarmy.org/
