I’m a morning person dear reader, it’s about the feeling of a fresh and clean day and the sheer promise of it. Like underwear, later, it all too often just doesn’t feel quite as good.  

Musically, I get this same early and fresh vibe with Chesterfield based Alpaca Factory and their new single Face of God. The track is on face value as pure and angelic as the dawn, there’s vibes of Duran Duran, Arcade Fire, hell Abba even. I also get a throwback for someone like New Order only with a solid South Yorkshire steel in the influence. While there is a lush sonic landscape in the music with soaring bright synths, I also admire the vocals of Tom Gannon which are stamped through with the hard biting edge of northern indie. 

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While full of promise, the lyrics of Face of God offer a distinct twist on that feeling of bright. Perhaps where I see glistening raindrops and rainbows, someone else just sees cold and wet.

Face Of God to my mind hint at a sunny but somewhat sinister obsession with a woman and perhaps an ideal of a person that perhaps only exists on the likes of social media. This is where you might find yourself dreaming what an imaginary perfect love affair might be like. In the real world, the pure love stuff only happens to people like Matt Hancock (cough).

Indeed, with a bit of thought it could almost be about the football fantasy the English nation has about its team winning something. We want the team to be as perfect on pitch as they demonstrate they are off it.

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“I have seen the face of God, and she looks just like you” is the main lyric and I can see it being the best compliment in the world, or perhaps something a bit off key weird. Clearly our protagonist both loves the feeling of being in love with a dream, but simultaneously knows how sorry it is.

The song was written in the summer of 2020 when perhaps internet obsession was all we had. Either way, the song can be interpreted in a number of ways and it’s clever stuff from Tom Gannon and those Alpaca Factory folk.

Catch up with Face of God as I guarantee you will fall in love with the bop; it’s a perfect summer tune.

Chris R

* Images are from the band’s promotional material