The conversational lilt is not something that every artist has in their arsenal. Teetering on the thin line between soothing and trite, it’s a balancing act that when successful, can turn a good song into a comforting friend, a feat that is masterfully accomplished by Ruarri Joseph in “Move On,” the latest single from the UK indie rock trio, William the Conqueror.
Emboldened by a rousing guitar riff, “Move On” tackles the unforgiving tide of restlessness, of feeling stuck without any way forward, moulding a vague origin story to your own with effortlessly penned lines, and a lulling drum beat—”Is that you / Openly glum / The world passing by as you hold out your thumb.” Joseph rambles on, piecing together glimpses of youth and burnt memories into a poetic puzzle that is finally put together as he breaks and simply coos, “move on,” an encouraging guitar note embellishing the simple line with motherly care.
“Move on” is the latest single to be released from WTC’s forthcoming album, Maverick Thinker, set for release on March 5th. As the band’s third album, it is also the closing chapter of the trilogy that started with their debut album in 2017—a trilogy inspired by poet Herman Hesse, who wrote that life could be divided into three stages: innocence, disillusionment, and faith. Many of the consequent themes in the albums can be attributed to Joseph’s own relationship with faith, as he recounts: “When I was young, I confused religion with faith. So I rejected it all for many reasons. Then as you go through experiences and wise up a bit, you start to realize that there might be something to those stories, that there might be something deeper to faith than just religion.”
Though the subject of religion and faith has long been explored in the musical arts, William the Conqueror (assisted by fellow bandmates Naomi Holmes and Harry Harding) has evolved into more than just another indie band preaching gospel doubt. Like their new single, they’ve moved on from their earlier cries of defeat, fully embracing their journey—and sound—with their revered destination finally edging into sight.
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