Music Releases

Legendary Duo Orbital Team Up With Sleaford Mods on New “Dirty Rat” Single Ahead of Forthcoming LP

Published

2 years ago

October 20, 2022

The legendary electronic group Orbital have joined forces with Sleaford Mods on their brand-new single, “Dirty Rat.” As the lead single from Orbital’s forthcoming artist album, coming in February 2023, coinciding with the single release, the guys also just surprise-dropped the track listing and album artwork.

Giving fans some time to bask in their musical greatness with “Dirty Rat,” Orbital released the new original collaboration on Thursday, October 20, just in time for New Music Friday — and fully equipped with a music video (listen and watch, below). “Dirty Rat” grants listeners time to prepare for Orbital’s Optical Delusion LP, which is slated to release on February 17, 2023. Pre-save Optical Delusion by Orbital, HERE.

Premiered last night (Weds., Oct. 19) on BBC Radio 6Music by Steve Lamacq, “Dirty Rat” is a special project for the collaborates, especially being the first release lifted from Orbital’s new album Optical Delusion. What’s even more fascinating is that “Dirty Rat” revives Orbital’s mainstay position within the realm of the scene, as one of the most iconic acts of their time. While it’s already been over 30 years since Orbital’s breakout, landmark single, “Chime,” they are just as prominent, vital, and relevant (if not more so today), while they continue making power moves and pushing forward.

Interestingly, what initially began as a remix swap (Orbital did the Sleafords’ “I Don’t Rate You”) has morphed into a comic, brutal, bass-driven harangue against our rulers and the voters who put them there: the people who are “blaming everyone in hospital/blaming everyone at the bottom of the English Channel/blaming everyone who doesn’t look like a fried animal.” Jason Williamson provides a typically searing vocal over Orbital and Andrew Fearn’s kinetic, driving beats.

“This track is a giant capital letter… Like in the Book of Kells, where the very first letter always gets the big treatment from the monk when he’s doing his illustrated borders. It’s got that old school dance music vibe with bits of Cabaret Voltaire in there, even bits of The Shamen. It’s a little bit punk rock, nice and loud. A really refreshing, ‘wake up’ kind of track. And Jason is just brilliant!” – Orbital’s Paul Hartnoll

“I guess it’s about telling people to take responsibility for their own actions,” adds Phil Hartnoll. “You know, all these politicians don’t come from out of nowhere. Somebody keeps voting them in. So who might that be…?”

“The ongoing culture of non-thought mostly exists because of a lack of education into critical thought,” comments Jason Williamson. “How do you mobilize a people firmly imprisoned by a concrete system?”