ALBUM REVIEW: Black Radical Love – Move
“A thug, a criminal, a brute, a fiend / What the fuck will they make out of me?”. These are the first words barked by MOVE vocalist Corey Charpentier on their debut full-length Black Radical Love. They follow a cacophony of news samples disparaging the names of Black lives murdered by the police, and in turn thrust listeners straight into the politically-charged world of the Boston hardcore outfit. Named after the Black liberation/environmentalist group that was infamously bombed by Philadelphia police in 1985 – killing 11 people – this is a band with so much to say, and you’ll find few more emphatic and essential statements than Black Radical Love.
MOVE aren’t just dabbling in politics and sloganeering; this is a record designed to provoke thought and response, the first glimpses of it found in singles Imperialist Reign and Summer Trend. The subject matter of the former is relatively self-explanatory, while the latter addresses in no uncertain terms those who jumped on the BLM bandwagon in summer 2020, only to lose interest when the news cycle moved on. “Black Lives aren’t a trend / Why can’t y’all see this through till the end?” asks Charpentier, demanding that the listener “Get off [their] ass and continue the fight”.
Both these tracks are found on the first half of the record, which is its most furious by design. This is where MOVE express their anger and frustration at the Black experience in America, refusing to mince words as they speak unflinchingly of prejudice, police brutality, and misguided attempts to ‘reform’ a system that must be dismantled completely. The depth to the lyrics is surely Black Radical Love’s biggest selling point, but the intensity of the music is by no means lacking either. MOVE have a lively and violent sound, with a hard metallic edge and a mix that’s just raw enough to give off a sense of what it might be like to be in the room with them.
What really makes Black Radical Love special though is that it is far more than a pissed off ACAB hardcore record – as clear as MOVE’s feelings about the police may be. It doesn’t just look at what needs to be destroyed today, it also considers what must be built tomorrow. Dotted throughout the record are multiple ‘statements’ in which MOVE give space to their friends to reflect on what ‘Black Radical Love’ means to them, these not only providing some well-placed breaks amid the prevailing fury, but also highlighting themes of self-love, community, perseverance and strength that form the beating heart of this record.
These ideas are emphasised far more broadly in the second half of the album, with tracks like For All Not One and Comrade providing calls to unity and collective power that may be relatively common to hardcore but just seem to hit a little different in MOVE’s hands, and particularly in light of the ills detailed in the tracks which precede them. While there is no significant change in the sonic approach from one side to the next, the shift in lyrical focus sees the music take on more of a motivational quality; anger and frustration are replaced by determination and confidence – not a naïve optimism, but a commitment – an “unwavering resolve” as the closing title track puts it – to ensuring that the band’s vision of abolition, revolution and liberation will one day come to pass.
That Black Radical Love manages to say so much in just 26 and a half minutes is truly impressive, and honestly no words in this review could do it more justice than if you just listen to it yourself. This is one of the best and most essential hardcore records of the year and it backs its ideas up with all the urgency and fury that they deserve. Musically it’s hard to fault as the band show an exceedingly solid command of all the essentials, but lyrically and thematically it climbs to a whole new level in a manner that should challenge and inspire every listener to assess their own place in the struggle for a world transformed.
Rating: 9/10
Black Radical Love is set for release on August 11th via Triple B Records.
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