23 September 2026 – Basht Sharpen Their Debut-Album Message With Kids vs. Guns

Irish post-punk outfit Basht have shared "Kids vs. Guns", the latest preview of debut album "Poor Advice", which arrives October 9. Following "Terror TV", "Keira Knightley" and "Perfume", the new track slows some of the frantic momentum of those earlier singles in favour of tumbling guitars and a more direct emotional attack.

Vocalist and guitarist Jack Leavey says the song began as a poem written in response to the suffering of children in Gaza and the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict, describing it as the song on the album of which he is proudest. That political anger fits the architecture of "Poor Advice", which Basht have described as a concept record examining power, obedience and the institutions sitting above ordinary people. Its themes move from the historic relationship between church and state in Ireland toward present-day military power and political authority.

Producer Ali Chant, whose credits include Dry Cleaning, Perfume Genius and PJ Harvey, handled the record. Basht have spent the build-up doing the less glamorous half of becoming an exciting new band: touring relentlessly. Support slots with DEADLETTER, Everything Everything and Wunderhorse have been accompanied by appearances at The Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City, Dot to Dot and other festivals. "Kids vs. Guns" suggests the debut will not be content merely to produce ten attractive post-punk songs and pose beside a concrete wall. Basht appear considerably more interested in asking who built the wall, who owns it and why everyone else is expected to pay rent.