The Clockworks Announce “Endgame” Single & Debut Self Titled EP

On 18th March, Galway’s The Clockworks will return with their first new music of 2022, Endgame. The track is cut from what will be the band’s debut collection of songs, an eponymously-titled EP, which will be released on the 1st April, via It’s Creation Baby. Loosely inspired by the Samuel Beckett play of the same name, Endgame is as literary as it is biting literal; it’s a song that grapples with the paranoia of losing your edge as the crushing cogs of time roll-on. As self-effacing as it is cannily self-aware, the song’s complex character-driven narrative delivers a state of the nation address from the shoes of joe public, while providing opportunity for a steely-eyed stare into the mirror.

“The idea for the lyrics was to have this character who’s a bit obnoxious playing a game of pool at the pub, and as the song progresses we get to peel him back and see that the game he’s playing is really against himself. The title, apart from relating to the game in the song, is a reference to Beckett’s play Endgame, which we thought touched on the themes/ideas/feelings of the song. I also liked the way that Beckett’s play had a through line of a chess game, like this song has a through line of a game of pool.” (frontman James McGregor)

A staple of The Clockworks live canon for some time, Endgame has been reworked several times since the band’s inception. While its words and sounds have evolved as its creators have too, its febrile chorus has always remained a constant. Completed in 2022, the end result is a dark and relentless development that plays a hand of ruthless pop hooks and builds towards a blindsiding crescendo. You can pre-save Endgame here and view The Clockworks upcoming UK, Irish & European tour dates and purchase tickets here.