After drawing critical praise for their debut album, 2021’s Our Bodies Burned Bright On Re-Entry, Underdark managed to turn the head of many labels, with Church Road winning the opportunity to represent the band and help set them on their way to the top of the genre’s lists of acts to watch out for. The new record, Managed Decline, is due for a release on 24th November and will see the band exploring themes of what they describe as political decline over the course of a few generations in Britain.

Front-woman Abi Vazquez said of Managed Decline, that it is a “‘story told over three generations about the degradation experienced by the residents of a post-industrial town in the Midlands. I wanted to explore the long term effects of Thatcherite neoliberalism and the slow-burning disaster they’ve caused for people here. Each generation has to make do with less, and turns to more extreme vices to cope as the loss of purpose and community sets in.”

Amidst the political and economic issues facing Britain and the wider world today, many fans will undoubtedly find common cause with the lyrical content of Underdark’s message. The band are certainly not holding back both lyrically and sonically for their new album, with “Enterprise (1st November 2004)” described by the band as being one of the heaviest songs on the record.

Speaking of the new single, Abi described the song as, “the most aggressive song on the album so it’s fitting that it’s the darkest part of the story. A father and daughter are earning money – by pimping the kid to buy dope. I wrote it to also serve as a metaphor for the fetishisation of entrepreneurship in neoliberal society.” 

In anticipation of the album’s release, the band have shared the track list and artwork which can be viewed on the band’s social media platforms. Pre-orders for the album can be found here.

To celebrate the great news, Underdark have covered Bristol trip hop innovators Massive Attack’s “Unfinished Sympathy”-a version of the song unlike any other. Speaking of the label and new song, the band said, “We are beyond excited to announce that our second album Managed Decline is coming out on Church Road Records. Church Road is a label we’ve long admired and to be able to release our second album through them is truly an honour. We believe this album represents a big leap forward for us as artists and we’re very grateful to be able to share it with you all. In the meantime, enjoy this cover of Massive Attack’s Unfinished Sympathy we crafted in between work on the new album.”


The group set out to experiment with a genre that was, as some might say, out of their comfort zone and they definitely chose a style of music that could not be much more different sonically from their own. But this is part of the appeal for the Nottingham five-piece, as they acknowledge that interacting with different forms of music can actually be a positive challenge for any band and one that allows for an alternative interpretation.

Underdark began in 2015 from humble roots in Nottingham, England but after adding Abi Vasquez in 2019 the band took off, becoming a success through DIY approaches to the music industry and staying true to what inspires them. With biting, poignant lyrics that cover everything from personal emotions to anti-fascism, Underdark are careful not to be pigeon-holed into a specific classification. Instead, the band prefer to focus on issues that may hit closer to home, basing their message around real world issues that everyday people will encounter. This makes Underdark one of the most gripping and promising bands in the Brit-black metal scene.