We recently featured Whooligans as they delivered grit, melody, and rebellion in the zeitgeist and anthemic, Get Loose, so when we heard that they were back with Losing Control, we were curious to say the least, and couldn’t wait to listen and share our experience.
Establishing the mood with a cinematic guitar soundscape, Whooligans opens Losing Control with a high emotional quotient and Stefan Ruhe signature vocal timbre as he sings, “Not breaking even, at a loss, and all of this just because, all you wanna do is just get high…”
The opus expands with a bright and dimensional energy, showcasing a purring baseline and textured drums to bring to life a universe that feels quintessentially Whooligans-coded. The rhythm section keeps things moving without fuss. Drums hit hard and stay tight. Bass adds weight and a steady pulse, holding everything in place. It’s direct and unfussy, giving the song a solid backbone.
Stefan‘s vocal delivery is raw and philosophical. Self-aware with every word and relatable in nature, pushed out with purpose, leaning into a Brit-pop rasp. There’s no polish for the sake of it, and that makes the performance feel closer and more human.
With reference to the meaning of the song, Stefan confesses, “Lyrically, it’s a blue-collar confession — a restless dive into the chaos of love, the fragility of self, and the moments where you give in to the fire just to feel alive.”
Experiencing Whooligans in a live setting would be incredible. There is also a synch-deal friendly appeal to the song, perhaps a sequel to Trainspotting. You can picture it bouncing off the walls of a small venue, shouted back by a crowd.
Whooligans manifest a sound that fans of the swagger of Oasis, the urgency of Arctic Monkeys, the poetic grit of Dylan, and the garage bite of The Strokes would vibe with, landing them alongside modern peers like Fontaines D.C., The Snuts, and Inhaler.
We love what they are creating, and have added Losing Control to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream Whooligans‘s wider discography, including Go., and Misery.