Album Review: Arthouse Melancholy on Baxter Dury's 'The Night Chancers'

Offensively British, painfully introspective, but equally witty and fun, Baxter Dury’s The Night Chancers is the perfect record for a wine night in.

Written by Adithya Srinivas

Photo courtesy of The Telegraph

If you’re the type of person that likes a warm welcome from an album, The Night Chancers gives you anything but. As the grungy synth lead, simple percussion, and swelling strings open up the first track “I’m Not Your Dog,” a soft yet assertive Cockney voice cuts through the mix with the opening lyric “I’m not your f---ing friend.” The line lingers, and just before listeners can think about feeling offended, the voice follows with “I’m trying to be, though.” Everything that defines the music of British alt-pop artist Baxter Dury is laid out within these first 30 seconds. In the world’s catalogue of sad and depressed albums, Dury’s beautiful soundscapes, simultaneous grand hubris and self-loathing, and sleazy yet strangely seductive vocal delivery allow him to create a unique space all for himself — an arthouse melancholy.

Much of Dury’s persona is derived from his ongoing refusal to actually sing. He leaves all of those responsibilities with background vocalist and frequent collaborator Madeleine Hart, but he himself mostly sticks to the realm of spoken word. Yet, with exaggerated moodiness, thick accent, and deliberate cadence structures, Dury molds his instantly recognizable voice into a strangely melodic heartbeat for all his songs. The musical arrangements are also very unique to Dury, featuring mostly stock synths, understated electric guitar, easy percussion lines, soft and soothing bass, occasional piano, and, of course, grand string sections. Track to track, there isn’t much that changes sonically. Every song comes off as pillowy, tired, and downtempo as the next, but the melodies are varied well enough that The Night Chancers’ tracks don’t simply mush together. However, as perfectly crafted as each song’s structure is, sonic variation isn’t part of the appeal of a Baxter Dury record, especially when there isn’t really a vocal display. Dury’s biggest talent is his effortlessly stylish, cynical, and poignant lyricism, a strength that is displayed on The Night Chancers as well as ever.

Photo courtesy of Heavenly Recordings

The album’s lead single, “Slumlord,” is a great example of Dury’s exquisite way with words, as it describes the stereotypical low-life city bachelor. His “charm drips like honey,” and he has “shiny cheekbones like graveyards in the sun,” lines that — despite their uncommon descriptors — are still incredibly effective at creating vivid images. The tonal delivery of lines like “I’ll shout you down in a slumlord way” and “Scary people / Saying silly shit” perfectly captures the indifference and thoughtlessness that sometimes comes with desolation, while still offering some comedic relief. 

The track “Carla’s Got a Boyfriend” follows the narrator discovering that his ex has found someone new, and makes his jealous judgements with lines like “He’s got horrible trousers / and a small car,” and “Bit of designer hair / Sloppy facial looks,” before considering whether to resort to violence with “I might take care of him, to be honest.” The intimate journey from jealousy through hatred and defeat is a very human take on the break-up song, basing its relatability not only in the emotions, but the specific experiences of listeners. 

The album’s closing track “Say Nothing” features some half-satirical/half-serious lyrics like “And I lie down / and let the cars run over my lifeless body / each wheel represents pain,” and is one of many examples on the album of over-the-top imagery and sarcasm mixed in with genuine sadness. This only begins to scratch the surface of Baxter Dury’s lyrical prowess, who, for all intents and purposes, is a one-liner machine through the entire run time.

All together, The Night Chancers expresses both a prideful defiance and a somber admission of one’s own depression, with enough self-hatred and “f--k you-s” to go around. Even though every track at its core comes from a place of dejected indifference to the world, and even despite how relatable all the emotions are, it’s very difficult to come away from the album feeling negatively. Baxter Dury’s effortless style, ranging from sleazy to sexy, mean-spirited to introspective, and blunt to nuanced, succeeds in inciting self-confidence despite all the problems one might face. In short, The Night Chancers makes you feel less alone when you’re feeling like a loser and gets you ready to face the world again, all packaged into the grimy vignettes of one of music’s most unique artists.