Offical Secrets Act Band Review

This band should come with a warning label. You need to be aware that Official Secrets Act have a knack for penning very, very memorable tunes, and “The Girl from the BBC” is one of the more dangerously addictive numbers they’ve created.
I’m sure I heard this song a month or so ago, and thoroughly liked it, but didn’t make
an effort to register who or what it was. Listening again a month later, it is odd that a song only heard once fleetingly has such a remarkably memorable pattern to it. In the same way The Blood Arm captured us in their one-hit wonder song - with lyrical synchronisation matched by the guitar riff - Official Secrets Act have taken this addictive medicine and injected it into their latest song.
Using minimal wording and tune-changing, the boys create this fantastic song which has an incredible flow to it.
It’s accompanied by a rather strange video… Placing the London boys in what looks like a mental institution, they are studied by scientists and eventually escape with the help of a girl (who we’re guessing is the metaphorical girl that the lyrics declare ‘they like her, she likes them, they like her she likes them’) and proceed to be beamed up to a spacecraft. Nothing to do with the song whatsoever except for the fact there’s a girl in there, but still it’s quite intriguing.
Girl from the BBC is made up entirely of three sentences on repeat, which increases it’s catchiness as it’s incredibly easy to learn. The intro doesn’t in any way represent the whole song, as it sounds like something from a fairytale, with a little accompaniment from what sounds like a trumpet. It instantly shakes this false impression in a few seconds to reveal an intense drumbeat and quick bass line.
This bass line is the key to the success of the song in my opinion, and will be noticed by the more tuned-in listeners. The vocals are very clever in the way they mix straightforward harmonies with stepped multiple vocals (other vocalists will sing a line late, so it’s a mixture of different words at once). Seamlessly mixing the backing drumbeat with the timing of these vocals makes this song even more impressive.
Other songs by OSA are equally fascinating. They’re playing at numerous festivals this summer and supporting Art Brut on an extensive European tour, and whether you like it or not, you’ll hear these guys one way or another. Their album ‘Understanding Electricity’ is out now.

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