Music is a mirror, shining a life back at us that cannot see because we live in a parallel universe. Top Scheme, the latest single from For Those I Love, is a song that deals with this reality: fractured families, poor housing, and the lack of opportunity that still impinges upon Irish life. For Those I Love, whose real name is David Balfe, is reminiscent of other wordsters like The Streets, Sleaford Mods, and earlier angry poets like Paul Weller and Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott. Balfe wields his breakneck vocabulary like a lightweight boxer uses his fists to overwhelm his opponent. “The weight of the hangover hungover this year and you drink to stop that trembling fear” is just one of the tongue-twisting lines that whack you in the solar plexus.The slow-mo black and white dignity of the video elevates the song into heroic territory where the visuals, music, and words collide into a battle-cry impossible to ignore.
