Bob Vylan – Humble as the Sun Review

What a pleasure it is to hear the likes of Bob Vylan rise through the punk-like ranks and create work as strong as this. Humble as the Sun feels like a tease. The duo has nothing to be humble about. They have worked hard to get to where they are and offer their hand to those in need, as any real-world-facing group should. There is sincerity pouring from Bob Vylan, not least on this latest release. Panic away in your office and feel the strain. 108 days is not much time to do anything at all. But with Humble as the Sun there are the personable qualities of standing on your own, independent of the horrors around you and making it in a world against you. Bob Vylan remains a powerful duo after the essential consistencies of Bob Vylan Presents The Price of Life.  

Here, the self-made duo finds themselves combating similar themes and topics. It is not through a lack of conversation elsewhere but because little has changed over the last two years. Rage does not dissipate on release and opener Humble as the Sun proves it. There are two routes for bands labelling themselves punk. Find the faux love as Idles did or continue the good fight as Bob Vylan does. Pops at the Royal Family now find themselves slipping from public interest marks Reign as an easy and imitable pop at those in positions of power without a clue how they got there. Instead, watch those who have risen from the bottom reign over those who applied shortcuts and influence in all the right places. The cream of the crop will always rise to the top, it just takes time to get it there. 

Therein lies the purpose of Dream Big. Sampling joy brings out a new surge of interest in the likes of Right Here. The repetition of “right here, right now” is simple enough to boom through and cause a storm of interest but hones its venom towards those with their head in the sand. Humble as the Sun whirrs on and on as a wake-up call to those who were not listening the last time around. Be thankful for Bob Vylan. When the former stars of the alt-punk and protest scene desert us, they remain constant and creative. Makes Me Violent does well to display the honesty in violence and those feelings we must contain in times of stress and strife. It is hard to keep a lid on horrid vitriol when facing off against the disturbing changes to life, but the Bob Vylan duo does well to articulate their fury. 

Humble as the Sun cries out for change but Bob Vylan are a smart enough duo to know change comes from within. Instead of launching into those vital tirades against the world around them, they target the systems keeping people in place. Thumps and whirring excellencies, like I’m Still Here, remind us of the fire which should burn in the bellies of anyone trampled by a system not of their making. But some are blind to the decisions of others and accept it as the status quo. Observing this and hitting out against it marks a monumental turn for Bob Vylan, an essential listen in their hands once more. Their fury is our hope.