KILL, THE ICON! releases new single ‘Bourdain’

Words by Arun Dhanjal

IG: @ajdzar

Protest punk duo KILL, THE ICON! recently released their latest single, ‘Bourdain’, which explores the personal impact the loss of an icon can have, specifically Anthony Bourdain who took his own life in June 2018. Channelling the late Anthony Bourdain, Arun Dhanjal shares his thoughts on KILL, THE ICON!’s ‘Bourdain’.

Chances are, you have heard the name Anthony Bourdain. Chances are, you may have watched one of the celebrated chef and cultural documentarian’s many shows (Parts Unknown, The Layover, No Reservations, A Cook's Tour), or read his book Kitchen Confidential. And, like me, you may have been entirely captivated by a man who was effortlessly sincere, imperfect, made no claims to even hide his wrongdoings, hell even made no attempt to even hide some of the deep sadness he was experiencing. Despite all this, he still travelled the world to find and explore the deepest reaches of humankind, share meals with everyday people and generally “just keep it real, man”.

If you are unfamiliar with his story, the long and short of it is this: his life seemed perfect. Here was a man who travelled the world for a living, eating the best food, having friends everywhere no matter where he went. That is why his death shook so many.

In a world full of confusion, incessant information and heightened anxiety, the voice of reason that many relied on for clarity tragically took his own life in 2018. Long gone are the commentaries on the political and social issues that afflicted many of the countries he had visited. Long gone, is some of the “realness” we saw on our screens.

To this writer, and maybe you dear reader, the world now is still just as confusing, perhaps even more anxious. The information overload we face daily is a lot to bear. We are, after all, still dealing with the effects of a pandemic.

‘Bourdain’, the new single from KILL, THE ICON! has arrived to soundtrack this confusion and anxiety. Serving as a tribute to Anthony Bourdain, the single from Dr Nishant Joshi’s project combines pummelling frenetic drums, sleazy distorted bass lines and lyrics reflecting the characteristics that made up Bourdain (“Add a pinch of Cobain/ Add a dash of Coltrane”) into a track that would, one could argue, fit very well into an episode of Parts Unknown.

‘Bourdain’ follows on from their debut single ‘Buddhist Monk’ which told the story of Thích Quảng Đức – the Vietnamese monk who, during his protest against the persecution of other Buddhists, set himself aflame.

Driven by the motto to “dismantle your ideology,” what makes the band refreshing is that they shine a light on the people who changed history for the better while “keeping it real”.

Lyrically, ‘Bourdain’ ends on the famous bible verses from Ezekiel 25:17 (in part thanks to Pulp Fiction and Samuel L. Jackson): The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men.

One can’t help but think just how important Anthony Bourdain was.

“…in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness”.

A fitting tribute indeed.

“Take A Sip for my friend…”

‘Bourdain’ by KILL, THE ICON! is available to stream now on all major platforms. You can also support them on Bandcamp.

About Arun

Arun Dhanjal (a.k.a Zar) is the drummer in noise rock/hardcore band Muscle Vest, a producer of electronic music influenced by UK Garage, South Asian Music, Jazz, Deep House, Hip Hop and psychedelic aesthetics, and a DJ playing all the above and more. He is also a member of the Daytimers collective, championing South Asian artistry.