Allister Ainsworth and Jacob Connor, the Auckland duo behind Microbes, timed the release of “Dire Tribes” for October 7th, ahead of the New Zealand General Election. They began the song together in Ahuroa, a rural spot north of Auckland, though they normally work by sharing files from different locations. Its subject is the tribal nature of political affiliation in a two-party system. The duo says they align with neither of the country’s main parties, and they point to curated social media feeds and what they call “engagement through enragement” as drivers of increasingly divisive discourse. In its place, they argue for a modern, data-driven approach to managing finite resources, with cooperation valued over competition.
Musically, the song is very chill and bright and evokes that psychedelic Pink Floyd sound with its harmony and choice of textures, though it’s considerably more modern. The rhythm work here is great; the vocals deliver syncopated runs in the verses that mesh very well with the drums. It’s kind of impossible not to move along with this music. It’s very groovy, which I always appreciate, because a lot of protest music is very boring and preachy and doesn’t attempt to have a good groove, but here it’s far from that. You can jam to this music, and it has a great stereo sound.
Microbes describe themselves as disseminators of mind viruses for an alternate future of organic collectivism, and they cite Arleen Lorrance’s line “be the change you want to see happen” as their guiding philosophy. They say they are dissatisfied with the way the world is being run, and that people in power are making the worst of a shared situation. Those are the duo’s own views, and listeners will weigh them against their own politics, but the duo presents “Dire Tribes” as a catalyst for conversation rather than a final word on any of it.