23 February 2026
British duo DEAD ANYWAY set the dark lyricism of Kate Arnold against the music
and soundscapes of Marc Symonds. They offer a mix of poetry, electronica and guitars.
A heady brew of dark, glitchy head-messing wonder.
They now launched their 7th album, titled SQUEAK PIGGY SQUEAK.
Again, DA takes you on a relaxing wander, entertaining your ears, mind, and psyche en route. They trip and hop their way through eight new pieces. Sonically, as we experienced so many times before, Tricky, Arab Strap, and Portishead come to mind.
Sydmonds designs a fitting, easy-listening atmosphere, flavored with scintillating guitar
sparks, shiny synth,s and bass-dipped Massive Attack-like percussion, for Arnold‘s spoken
word reflections.
Her laid-back vocals suit the whole sonic picture organically, and her hush-hush
tonality creates an inviting, intimate ambiance. Thematically, the songs cover very personal, mental issues, which is why we asked Kate to guide us through them.
– WITHOUT IS A LUXURY –
“I thought I’d start with ‘Without is a Luxury’ and work back, since the last track of ‘Squeak
Piggy Squeak’ is a reflection on those which have gone before. When I’ve emerged (blinking,
like a mole) from writing for a collection, it’s always hard to work out what planet I’ve been on lyric-wise, and it takes some time for the themes to appear. And that’s what the track is about, really. Taking stock, I guess.”
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– TACKY WALLS –
“I suffer quite badly (physically and emotionally) from claustrophobia and ‘Tacky Walls’
is about having to have a brain scan, and a diagnosis that came from it. It’s that
simple, really.
As always with Dead Anyway, the album title comes from something within one of
the tracks and ‘Squeak Piggy Squeak’ (from this one) is a frankly quite sinister party
game (Google it) which I remember being terrified at the prospect of playing as a child.”
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– THE OVERLINE –
“This one covers how the internet has overtaken our lives, the way it seems to have changed basic human nature, and how grateful I am that I won’t be around to witness the way I see it playing out, if we don’t wake up and reflect.”
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– DUMB WAITER –
“The theme of claustrophobia appears again in ‘Dumb Waiter’. We all dig our own
holes, don’t we, and those holes can get way too comfortable if they’re allowed to go unrecognised. I seem to resort to using the second person (the ‘you’) when I’m being
particularly self-accusatory – so I was clearly talking about myself here.”
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– A SHIFT OF PERSPECTIVE –
“The single, ‘A Shift of Perspective’ is, sadly—but not, I’m afraid, untypically—the only vaguely optimistic track on the album. Magic Eye puzzles were popular in the UK a while ago (again, Google it) and the technique was to stare at the pattern really hard, adjusting your focus, until the 3D image (or the answer to the puzzle) suddenly appeared.
Some people, including Marc, never got the knack and he still doesn’t know what the image is in the artwork! The lyric is basically saying, ‘keep going, something will shift’. And of course, what’s not to love about a Wizard of Oz reference?”
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– NO POPCORN –
“This song is another self-beratory thing. I’ve always been gormless. Far too long spent looking out of the train window at the trees and the sky, not even considering the destination. And now look.”
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– BEYOND REPAIR –
“‘Beyond Repair’ deals with trying to contain depression, trying to crack on with life when depression hits, and recognising—and gathering the nerve to utilise—someone who might
just understand. It’s also about not wanting to be a burden to them.”
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– WHO NEEDS THE VOICE OF THE MYSTERONS –
“Stick ‘the voice of The Mysterons’ into YouTube: genuinely, is there anything more terrifying?
Is there anything more terrifying than what we’re capable of doing to ourselves in our heads, alone in the wee small hours? Another second person. I’ll leave it there.
So, there we have it. The themes have emerged. Claustrophobia,
alienation, depression. We’re not called Dead Anyway for nothing.”
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Thank you, Kate, for your clarifying insights.
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