In a career as constant and wildly prolific as that of Frank Turner (who already has ten solo studio albums, which is said to be early) it is difficult to find a turning point that determines its rhythm or progression. Taking his feet off the pot just enough and judiciously managing a formula that has been working like a charm for two decades now, the British singer-songwriter asserts his particular role as the most punk of folk (or vice versa) with “Undefeated” (Xtra Mile, 24), the tenth gem in his rich history and a laudable debut in self-production.
And, if it wasn’t enough for him to accumulate a fertile life on stage (where this year he even plans to break the world record for concerts given in different cities in less than 24 hours), the artist from Winchester has recently inaugurated his skills in production, already leaving his mark on other people’s contributions (such as the recent “Build Something Better” by Grace Petrie) and now taking on her own work for the first time. Who better than himself to give shape and cohesion to fourteen songs that show off his usual creative incontinence and stylistic nonconformity.
As has become the norm in his respective work, placing a single label on Turner’s playful arts is very complicated. The Briton is clear about the direction in which he seeks to guide his speech, but that does not represent an obstacle when taking certain detours that breathe dynamism and vitality into the piece. From a semi-acoustic rock to the use (“East Finchley”) to a guitar-driven and epic coming of age (“Ceasefire”), passing through the most archetypal and carefree side of punk (“Girl From The Record Shop”) and the most urgent of folk-rock (“Never Mind The Back Problems”). The result is an album as raw as it is fun in which the cruel passage of time seems to be the common denominator of his ideas.
Without a doubt, entering the quarantine has provided him with unexpected input from which to draw inspiration and sharpen his most reflective side. This is proven by the infectious and exciting “Do One” with which you open the disk (“Some people are just gonna hate you no matter what you do, so don’t waste your time trying to change their minds, just be a better you”he advises himself in the aforementioned song) or the acidic sarcasm of “No Thank You For The Music” (“Now, I’m surprised to report that as I enter my 40s I’ve returned to being an angry man”, sings as a warning before speaking out against the pop-up music of the new era).
With literality as his flag and without getting entangled in overly encrypted metaphors, Turner draws in “Undefeated” a fresh honesty that talks about what aging is doing for him (broken dreams, lost loves, friendships that fall by the wayside, physical ailments and the mental and sociopolitical consequences that the pandemic brought with it). A clarity with which it will be easy for us to connect at first and which confirms that, when it comes to putting soul into his art, few beat good old Frank.