Flames is like a clarion call- burning urgently with purpose. It re-records the chorus of Charles Bradley, The World (Is going up in flames) and makes it with the help of soulful voices: the voice of AP Wilson as the main singer, and Mo Marshall plays the piano the second voice, as it is an echo of Bradley at the same time. It is a raw base intertwined with melodic counterpoint provided by Young Rhianna Jackson (newbie of Brit School). The outcome comes across as both traditional and yet full of new energy.
It is also a passionate commentary song about the failure of systems to work in favor of their populations. Leaders turn into ghosts as neighborhoods fray in the face of unfair development- the displacement induced by gentrification turns literal as culture and connection is burnt in flames. The artists are faced with the failure of trust: What do we do when trust falls apart? Create.” It is not a lyric, it is a manifesto. They implement their own art restoration as they accept the responsibility of expression.
