UK band Bad Breeding, release their new album Human Capital on July 8th via One Little Independent Records/Iron Lung Records in the US. The announcement comes alongside new single and the album’s title track ‘Human Capital’, “a summation of working life within the confines of a supposed economic meritocracy, examining those feelings of continual anxiety and uncertainty that come from juggling zero-hours work in the shadow of the mantra that anything is achievable with hard work and dedication”.

Human Capital is released alongside a manifesto of sorts. Within the almost 2000-word essay, long-time collaborator Jake Farrell explains that “we are marooned on our islands of self-obsession by cultural forces that emphasise our differences, keeping us apart and suspicious of one another. It feels as though in recent years, especially during the immediate onslaught of austerity following the 2008 financial crisis, that the idea of community itself was under attack”.

“Our lives are not to be managed like we are each a plucky start-up, not to be measured in the emotional profit and loss that we can extract from our relationships and those around us. We don’t need to invest time and energy on capital projects of the self on some doomed, linear journey to self-actualisation.”

Bad Breeding comprise of Chris Dodd (vocals), Angus Gannagé (guitar), Charlie Rose (bass), and Ashlea Bennett (drums). They draw influence from the original British pioneers of the anarcho-punk scene; Crass, Rudimentary Peni, and Flux of Pink Indians. Formed in 2013, the group utilized their sense of anger, Stevenage’s isolation, and the political landscape in the UK and the world as their starting point.

Their first release, ‘Burn This Flag’, came the following year via HateHateHate Records. With their live shows gaining attention for their uncompromising performances, the four-piece also headed out on tour with Eagulls, as well as playing their own headline shows. 2014 also saw them move away from labels and self-release their second single, ‘Chains’, selling it via online auction sites. Their eponymous debut album was self-released in April 2016. In 2017, Bad Breeding linked up with Hackney-based punk label La Vida Es Un Mus and US-based Iron Lung for the sophomore album ‘Divide’.

“Every instinct in our body is primed to put ourselves first by the world we live in and sacrifice is by definition hard. Our muscles of solidarity have atrophied — withered away along with the big stories our societies used to tell themselves about the purpose of living. But there are still opportunities to exercise them again. We see examples of it all around us as people gather to place themselves between bailiffs and an eviction, give small, regular amounts of money to feed hungry people in their towns or use their time to tutor students who can’t afford the advantages of their peers. Perhaps the only benefit of the pandemic period is to prove that immense collective strength still exists in our communities.”

Bad Breeding
Human Capital
Track listing
One Little Independent Records

Community
Joyride
Prescription
Misdirection
Arc Eye
Human Capital
Nostalgia Trip
Red Flag Rising
Death March
Speculation
Straw Men
Rebuilding

Bad Breeding 2022 tour dates

20/04/2022 – NL, Tilburg – Roadburn Festival
21/04/2022 – NL, Amsterdam – OCCII
22/04/2022 – BE, Antwerp – Music City
23/04/2022 – FRA, Paris – Supersonic
06/07/2022 – UK, Liverpool – Quarry
07/07/2022- UK, Edinburgh – The Banshee Labyrinth
09/07/2022 – UK, Manchester – Talleyrand
14/07/2022 – UK, Nottingham – Chameleon
15/07/2022 – UK, London – Moth Club
16/07/2022 – UK, Bristol – Crofters
22/07/2022 – UK, Hastings – The Crypt
23/07/2022 – UK, Guildford – The Boiler Room