The Atmospherics of Mania: L’Objectif – ‘Goth Kids’ Review

Words: Josh Parsonage

In a world full of ever-intensifying social conflict, existential doubt is inevitable. This innate human characteristic is poignantly conveyed in ‘Goth Kids’, the new track from Leeds outfit L’objectif.

The song is frontman Saul Kane’s most emotionally complex account yet, and harnesses his internal distress, vocalising it through the music. The band successfully create a disturbed atmospheric around these lyrics, and it feels compulsive to dance along. ‘Goth Kids’ uses a dark sense of irony to breakdown the social alienation felt by Kane, one tied to a crisis of identity and a missing sense of belonging:

“This whole rooms full of goth kids / I thought I was one, turns out they’re too nice”.

His lyrics look to connect this with broader societal tensions, the chaos and futility of competing sub-cultures and conflicting identity. Through this, critiques are formed of the performative nature of modern discourse, perpetuated by ever-more polarised identities and individualism: “We pride ourselves on knowledge we don’t know”.

One of the most essential elements in this track’s narrative is the vocal delivery. The verses feel forced out, groaned in a way which conveys a profound loss of hope. Years of trying to fit in, to belong, have left the L’objectif frontman with deep emotional scarring. A wave of energy is introduced in the choruses and outro, but is it anger? Is it elation? The brilliance of this track lies in its duality – whilst exposing himself to emotional scrutiny, the Leeds frontman still retains a layer of mystery, leaving the listener with questions.

The music is complimentary throughout, seeming to represent an inner monologue. It is fuzzy and distorted at times, fittingly. And, in the final act explodes beautifully with the quite extreme repetition of: “This whole rooms full of goth kids / Nothing makes me feel quite as alright” exploring a mania which has built up throughout the track and throughout the Leeds rockstar’s life.

We can only hope that L’objectif are soon handed a long-awaited debut album so that we can see these concepts and complexities fully fleshed out. For now, however, if you are unfamiliar with the band’s work their impressively broad discography is available on all streaming platforms.