Track Review: Influencer // The Qwarks

With a growing reputation for entertaining listeners with their astounding indie-rock sound, UK-based The Qwarks are not a band to be ignored. Formed at the beginning of 2020, the pre-pandemic (or just pre-pandemic) trio dive into incandescent sonic waters and emerge with intoxicating tunes in their arms. While The Qwarks have a growing following as an insatiable trio, the lads have previous experience playing gigs across the globe (both individually and as part of bands). It is this diverse influence that helps hone the unique Qwarks style into “…a dangerous weapon, gleaming and ready for the stage.”

Featured in blogs like Sinusoidal Music, The Other Side Reviews, Rock Era Magazine and many more, The Qwarks are described as a fusion of punk with hard rock influences similar to Dead Kennedys or Cardiacs. In their most recent single ‘Influencer’, the lads break out with a bold whack of indie rock slathered in funky psychedelic rock and contemporary pop. The melodic arrangement elegantly combines trumpets, pianos and guitars in a kaleidoscopic soundscape. Interestingly enough, while the arrangement has a sense of control, there is also a sense of organised chaos made to be danced to in funky flamboyant trousers.

While their genre-defying sound is something to admire, The Qwarks really show their skills as songwriters. In ‘Influencer’ they touch on the major modern-day phenomenon – the influencer economy. Navigating the realm of the “influencer”, The Qwarks work the bizarre concept where people and popularity have become an algorithmic strategy reducing us to merely social media clicks and advertisements. In their new album LET’S GO, LET’S GROW! (to be released in December 2022), the lads explore the “end of Western civilisation and how amusing the frenetic activity is when you reflect on it…”

Breaking it down, ‘Influencer’ is a core theme in this laughably chaotic conceptual album. Yet, while the track has a humorous side to it, there is a profoundness in the lyricism where the listener can see the influencer living their “best life” but living in an internet-based cage. The influencer may have all the delicacies of a great life on display, but is it really that great if your key goal is to keep selling to a glossy-eyed crowd? A pre-prepared box created by robots sends consumers into a downward spiral of “freedom” and places influencers on an algorithmic paper pedestal.