Special Interest remind us to “endure, endure” on “(Herman’s) House,” a dance-punk track inspired by Herman Wallace, who unjustly spent decades in solitary confinement. Here’s why it’s a Song You Need to Know.
Wallace’s dream home, his perseverance, and that of his Angola Three comrades, Robert King and Albert Woodfox — who also spent decades unjustly locked in solitary — provides the inspirational foundation for House,” an absolute scorcher from New Orleans no-wave punks. The track is a dance-punk masterclass, flourishing in the space between melody and dissonance, without sacrificing the all-important groove.
There’s a bit of cheek in there too, like when Logout drops her voice to a husky whisper and delivers a post-chorus chant, “Sweat, endure, allure, shakur.” But that hint of levity doesn’t detract the obvious stakes embedded in the final repetition of “endure, endure.”Enduring, of course, in this world, is the ultimate challenge.