What does rock ‘n’ roll sound like in 2023? Would you recognise it if you heard it? What did it ever really mean to ‘be’ rock ‘n’ roll anyway?
Ingrid and the Ministers don’t offer any easy answers to these difficult questions, but it’s undeniable that the unrestrained spirit of the old guard emanates from their rollicking sound.
The Wellington-based band’s latest release, the excellently-titled “Last Night I Dreamt That I Shot Myself”, is a barnstorming shot of raw emotion, filled with searing energy, crunching guitars, and cocksure vocals.
It’s the sort of vigorous and vital rock number that would befit a rinky-dink Midwestern bar, where it would burst onto the jukebox and awaken men from their beer-induced doldrums, or a nondescript Wellington spot that some Lambton Quay suits unexpectedly tumbled into, suddenly finding themselves accosted by furious noise.
Led by the titular Ingrid Saker, the four-piece also consists of James Morgan (lead guitar), Scott Maynard (bass), and Kim Andrews (drums), and they’re a formidable foursome on record (although there’s the sneaky suspicion that their music deserves to be heard in a live setting).
Their new single is a triumphant ode to finally getting over a former flame. “What could be construed as a nightmare turns into a revelation that something needed to give in order to make space for the new,” Ingrid says. “It’s about the relief and lightness of making it to the other side.”
The musician was inspired to write the track during a cycling trip across the top of the South Island of New Zealand; after having a dream exactly like the one described in the title, everything fell into place.
“It just kept spinning around in my head,” she adds. “I didn’t have an instrument to write with so I composed it mentally on the bike. That’s probably why the words feel more spoken than sung. I was really intrigued by this idea that a violent, seemingly self-destructive thought, could generate so much relief.”
“Last Night I Dreamt That I Shot Myself” is taken from the band’s new album, the similarly well-titled Boofhead, which is set for release on April 21st. The album is set to contain everything from poignant heartbreak songs to rugged punk rock.
Ingrid and the Ministers’ “Last Night I Dreamt That I Shot Myself” is out now.
