Plan B: Lost My Way

As promised, here's my review of Plan B's brand new track 'Lost My Way'. The song is due to be released both as part of the album 'Ill Manors' this July, and as a single on 30th June. It is also a part of the soundtrack for the film 'Ill Manors', directed by Plan B, which is again due for release next month.

Here's the official video for the song... 

'Lost My Way', alongside its predecessor single 'Ill Manors', signifies Plan B's return to the dark, macabre tones of his grime-scene roots. It suggests a rejection of the radio-friendly, melodic material of his previous album 'The Defamation of Strickland Banks' in favour of a new direction heavily influenced by the current political and social atmosphere.                 

As with 'Ill Manors', the lyrics of 'Lost My Way' present an intense criticism of the democratic, capitalist, hierarchical system. The call-and-response narration of a hopeless, disenchanted youth very much echo the techniques employed by soul and gospel singers in their respective styles of music. The inclusion of such a reference draws a parallel between the youth of today, "enslaved" with "their circumstances [shaping] the way they behave", and the de facto enslavement of black citizens in the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Coupled with the anger with which Plan B raps in the track, and the inconsistent dynamic changes, the listener is immersed into a state of rage at the system which is apparently responsible for the problems facing today's youth.                     

This is reinforced by the music itself. The sinister, discordant piano and the heavy, aggressive beats gradually build up to a dynamic climax before suddenly ending. The silence following the song's conclusion fills the listener with an extreme sense of dread and horror, echoing the theme of a young generation in despair over their future.              

Of course, the themes presented in this song echo closely those conveyed in 'Ill Manors', simply because both were created for the same purpose. The upcoming album from which both singles have been taken is, as well as being a standalone album release, the soundtrack for Plan B's new film of the same name. The film is set in a London ghetto and charts the struggle for survival of its inhabitants, so the dark and intense tones of 'Lost My Way' and 'Ill Manors' are unsurprising when their purpose is considered.                                                                                                           
Overall, 'Lost My Way' is not a song for the casual listener, and will undoubtedly surprise fans of Plan B's recent hits 'She Said' and 'Stay Too Long'. However, both musically and lyrically it is a masterpiece, and couldn't be any more effective in making the emotionally charged, anti-authoritarian statement which characterises the artist's new musical direction.


...So, there's my review of the track! Thanks for reading, and stay tuned to the blog as there are loads more reviews and articles to come in the next few weeks!
PsyD