A standout off The Murder Capital’s third album Blindness, “A Distant Life” is a tender, succinct, and strikingly relatable reflection on distance, longing, and the quiet sacrifices we make for love and livelihood.
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Stream: “A Distant Life” – The Murder Capital
Sometimes, it’s the simpler things that catch you thinking.
On an album that bristles with adroit poetic lines, and speaker-shattering guitar riffs, one song that leaps out of the tracklist is “A Distant Life” – the fourth single from Blindness, the latest record from The Murder Capital (released February 21, 2025 via Human Seasons Records). Its simple guitar work and ultra-catchy melodies are immediately favourable on the first listen, and the lyrics scan perfectly with not one syllable out of place. This song is about being apart from someone for too long, and the daydreams and thoughts you have about them when you know you’re not going to see them for a while longer.
It’s a sweet and vulnerable piece on an album of honest songwriting, and was fittingly written while the band were touring. Perhaps the decidedly un-romantic setting of a UK service station was what inspired James McGovern to write the initial words that would become “A Distant Life.” These mundane settings are prime fodder for thought and introspection. Staring at a beige wall, waiting for a delayed flight, sitting in the same spot for hours on end. It takes your brain to different places.
The salt taste of your mouth
The small pockets of love
The moment I catch you
Come on top like a dove
That “salt taste” line came from a Margaret Atwood poem, an inspiration that McGovern has been keen to point out. It’s the spark that started the fire. There’s something about the feelings of raw intimacy this verse evokes which is really striking. But it’s also warm and delicate – there’s no lust in this song, it’s purer than that.
It’s a thought that comes from a mind that’s already had three cups of coffee before 10 AM, a sober reflection on how the rigors of being in a band can affect personal relationships. It’s about missing someone in that calm, sad way that isn’t in the scope of an argument or a relationship failing, just – “I really wish you were here right now.”
The price we pay for connection
In a distant life
The chance of making a living
Or loving night after night
We exist at a point in history where you can insult someone 10 time zones away instantly as you kill them in cold blood on Call of Duty, but genuine connection can seem further away than it’s ever been.
This part of the verse weighs up the sacrifices we make daily – whether a factory shift worker or a celebrated rock star, we all end up doing things that take us away from the ones we love. But what else can you do? Whether you work 60 hours a week or spend all day in bed with your girlfriend, the rent still needs paying.
The Murder Capital is a collaborative effort, and the band are careful to make sure each member gets their full credit on this album. However it’s clear that “A Distant Life” is a product of McGovern’s partnership with guitarist Damien Tuit. The structure of the song was written simply by Tuit altering his dual chord pattern to fit the cadence and delivery of McGovern’s vocals. Everything was built from there and apparently “A Distant Life” was written swiftly from that point. It’s a cleaner, less busy sound than most other songs by the band, as they often prefer to coat the track with chorus, reverb, and huge snare hits. This makes you sit up and take notice whenever the song starts playing – It’s different.
It’s notable that although the entire song is written in a basic rhyming structure, “A Distant Life” does not feel tired or cheesy.
It is in fact very difficult to write in this style and not come off like some hammy, reduced-to-clear sentiment on the last card in the store at 7pm on February 14th. When done as well as this, it assures that the punchiness of the short lines are surpassed only by how catchy and memorable the words are. This lyrical economy is part and parcel of The Murder Capital’s charm. This song, like many others on the album, clocks in at well under three minutes, but it doesn’t feel like anything is left unsaid.
With all that said
No word’s in vain
A distant love
Is worth its weight in pain
“Succinct” will be a word I’m sure will be used liberally to describe this track, and indeed many other singles from The Murder Capital. In 17 words, the entire song is summed up. It’s painful to be away from someone so important for so long. But McGovern is making the most of it – The sheer existentialism in declaring a long-term separation from your partner as being “worth it” for the longing you endure is as stark as it is beautiful. This neatly ties everything up. The utilitarian walls of the petrol station have given birth to these emotions, this yearning for affection. One day he’ll have that back, but for now, the only thing he can do is wait it out, perhaps send them a WhatsApp love note and get to the next venue for soundcheck.
The final words, almost unintelligible in the mix – “we’re alright” – could be a self-reassuring phrase, one of weary acceptance, or from his partner themselves.
It suggests that this is a situation that the relationship has fought through many times before, and will inevitably rear it’s head again in the near future. What’s so captivating about “A Distant Life” is that it captures a feeling we are all familiar with; it’s a real slice-of-life in the midst of intense stanzas and complex emotional pieces.
This ability to balance the profound and the mundane, along with the recognition that they are equally important, is at the core of The Murder Capital’s ethos.
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Stream: “A Distant Life” – The Murder Capital
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© Hugo Comte
© Hugo Comte
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