Following on from the release of ‘Ammo’ in July, the first taste of Modern Condition, ‘Learner in an Alpha’ reveals another side of where MOD CON might take us on the long-awaited follow up to 2018’s Modern Convenience. While ‘Ammo’ maintained a somewhat restrained approach that allowed the track to burst with venom and nervous energy, ‘Learner in an Alpha’ is perhaps more to the point, unveiling itself with a razor-sharp guitar and bass combo that snake through the track over an incessant pounding groove.

Like ‘Ammo’, for the most part the instrumentation on ‘Learner in an Alpha’ refuses to overextend itself; the relentless guitar and bass racing alongside each other in unison while the minimalist backbeat avoids the temptation to burst open, instead loading the track with anxiety. However, this builds a pressure-cooker type bedrock for Erica Dunn’s blistering vocals to stretch and sprawl atop of, as she paints a sardonic portrait of modern-day capitalism and its impact on the planet through a roadworthy metaphor that feels as scathing as it is irreverent.

Asked to expand on the track, the band didn’t give much away, telling us “Learner in an Alpha, free on the tollway, cutting laps in the land of plenty and making that convertible shine, shine, shine. My oh my you make it sing, with your indicator on to some bigger thing, no surprises since the Silent Spring. We didn’t square off with that stone in our shoe, just went out to score Air Max #272; Jimmy Choo; suede brogues in blue; hot stuff comin’ thru.”

There’s not heaps to take away from that, but paired with the new clip created by Sophia Mero, the track’s car theme becomes all the more disorientating. With its combination of collage, animation and found footage, the clip plays like a haphazard road-trip across warped colour and texture, and matched by MOD CON’s propulsive drive and frenetic charisma, there’s not much else you can do but sit back and let ‘Learner in an Alpha’ take you for a ride.