poor effort releases new single HMRC

Built off British mindsets, begrudging bosses and too much telly, Salford’s hip-hop, post-punk poet, poor effort, has released new single HMRC.

Imagine John Cooper Clarke writing whilst working zero hours shifts in an Amazon warehouse. poor effort’s secong single coming in hot on the heels of other poets, such as Kae Tempest, Yard Act and Antony Szmierek, a brilliant, funnily bleak appraisal of Britain’s frequently desperate jobs market

Originally from an outlying mill town, becoming a Salford resident and Manchester nighthawk, poor effort is the product of Matty Dagger. Having scraped together a makeshift studio setup during lockdowns, then putting self-learnt production techniques and poetry to tape, no fewer than 30 demos emerged which have brought him to the attention of various (now) collaborating producers, visual artists and musicians.

Listening to his work, you can expect the music to dip in and out of alternative, hip-hop, post-punk and electronic influences, with the focus largely revolving around Dagger’s observational lyricism portraying the essence of bored Britain.

Of the single Dagger says: “HMRC was written off the back of a few first hand experiences, including working under a supervisor who was high on crack and getting a phone call on payday asking if I would be OK with just half the wage until next month.”

His first release, You’re Wrong, I’m Right (Symphony), unpicked the ignorance that lies within polarised opinion with acerbic understatement, cutting into the toxicity of unhearing social media users and decrying a normalised state where harmless debates often and quickly turn to rot in a digital cesspit. This follow up, with no less fervour, folds in a languorous and relatable vocal delivery, spotlighting the dank corners of British employment opportunities, narrated by the advice of a Universal Credit work coach.

Find poor effort via their LinkTree

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All words by Iain Key. See his author profile here or find him on X (Twitter) as @iainkey