Punk/grime luminaries PENGSHUi will soon unleash their sophomore full-length «Destroy Yourself», one which aims to capture their live energy on record. As frontman Illaman explains, “with our first album people said you have to see it live to fully get it, which was cool, but we wanted to give that live feeling from the first track with this record so then you do see a show, the energy is doubled.” Said first track is the blistering «Break The Law», which features P Money and can be seen below by way of a video by Tarnish Vision.

Illaman goes on to explain that “there is a lot of emotion and pain in this album,” adding that its title is “about breaking yourself down and taking yourself apart then looking at what feels wrong, what makes you unhappy, the addictions you have, the life and death, love and loss and allowing lessons from all that to help you grow.” That doesn’t mean there are no politics to be found in the album, as its second track, «Eat The Rich», clearly illustrates. Watch it below, through a video by Valentines Eye.

Back in 2017, a fire took place in Grenfell Tower, in Illaman’s neighbourhood, “it kickstarted my political brain and got me a bit frustrated and angry at the government. I had a friend who passed away in Grenfell,” he continues, “I’ve been in Grenfell a few times because it’s on my doorstep. Mogg [Tory MP] and his lot have probably never been in a building like that in his life. They’ve never been in these environments or around some of the people that would have lost their lives in that building. It was obviously due to negligence. I need to start saying this stuff in the music and have a bit more of an opinion on the government, the rich and these people who have no idea of what life is like for people in these areas.” By now, the three first tracks on the album have all been made public, with «Little Brother» rounding up the trio. The song features Illaman’s sibling, who also features on the “intoxicating dub of «Nothing Ever Changes», screaming away the clouds of feeling ‘depressed, stressed, anxious and horrible forever.” The former track can be heard below through a video directed by Daisy Chain.

The frontman goes on to elaborate that the “record is just about growth, and being open, honest and not afraid to address certain things in your head and your heart. It’s a beautiful thing, but it’s a scary thing to face your demons.” Musically speaking, drummer Pravvy Prav adds that “we want your fucking chest to rattle. If your chest isn’t rattling then it’s not good enough.” All this said, three more singles can be heard below, namely, «Move The World», «This Is My Youth», and «IDKWYBT», with videos by Krupa in the case of the former, and by Luke Glover on the latter two.

«Destroy Yourself» is set for release on January 28 by MKVA on digital and vinyl formats, whose pre-orders can be found here. The album was written and produced with Flux Pavillion alongside Pete Cannon, recording and mixing took place at Greenmount Studios in Leeds with Lee Smith and Jamie Lockhart. Below, you can further find the album’s cover.

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