“I am no vulture, this is my culture,” John Lydon warns — or is it a declaration?
Whatever he’s portraying, it’s in Public Image Ltd.‘s first new song in 20 years, off their first studio effort since 1992’s “That What Is Not.” Defiant “One Drop” utilizes reggae rhythms and layers upon layers of guitars and processed noise, all with the former Sex Pistol’s penchant vibrato and prrroper brrrah-brrrahing consonant rolls.
The chorus reminds me a little of LCD Soundsystem’s “One Touch” — one drop, after all, is rarely ever enough.”We are the ageless, we are teenagers,” he sing-says, the vocals mixed way up front. It’s got a lot of character, though Lydon’s certainly no teenager and the wear on his voice shows.
The song is from a new vinyl-only EP ‘One Drop’ out on April 21 for Record Store Day. It precedes PiL’s first full-length in two decades, “This Is PiL,” due in May or June.