It’s been almost four years since Lily Allen‘s third album Sheezus, but excitement is starting to build around her forthcoming new LP. This interest has been drummed up by Allen herself, who has said that it will confront a lot of her personal trials over the years from addiction, to the break down of her marriage, to her relationship with her children. This week she has released the first official single from the album, ‘Trigger Bang‘, which makes good on this promise, as it delves deep into her past troubles with alcohol and being in the limelight.
‘Trigger Bang‘ starts off with a verse from London rapper Giggs, who discusses his own flirtations with drug use in a loquacious and easygoing manner. However, this is Lily’s show, and once she takes over the song really kicks off.
Despite being only in her early 30s, Lily Allen has been in the public spotlight for well over a decade now, and in ‘Trigger Bang‘ she looks back over the course of her career and highlights many moments of misconduct and dalliances with unhealthy choices. Her lyrics revolve around the “cool gang,” essentially a group of other people replete with drugs and booze with whom she spent many years partying, losing much in the process.
She starts from her early years, in a more cutesy manner, admitting she “never got home for Neighbours,” but only a couple of lines later she talks about “waking up next to strangers” and then sniffs “everyone knows what cocaine does.” She mentions several of her favourite spots to party in the past, from Yo-Yo in Melbourne to the Chateau Marmont in LA to the Firehouse in London, where she would be photographed leaving late at night with other celebrities and be asked “”did you bang, no?“.”
This all comes to a head in the chorus of ‘Trigger Bang‘ where she has finally realised that the “cool gang” is not for her: “that’s why I can’t hang with the cool gang/ everyone’s a trigger bang bang bang” (which seems like a bit of a nod to the M.I.A. classic ‘Paper Planes‘). Ultimately, it’s a song of strength for Allen, as she resolves “goodbye bad bones, I’ve got bigger plans/ Don’t wanna put myself in your hands.”
Listen to ‘Trigger Bang‘ below.
It seems Lily Allen has gotten a good grip on her life in the last few years, and her upcoming album should be a testament to the struggle she’s been through and her redemption. Look out for more information about the forthcoming album very soon.
