Reggae music often masks its themes of social oppression and injustice beneath underlying tunes that force the body into a perpetual groove. This can sometimes result in an inner conflict of wanting to dance but also wanting to stand up and call out the system and their oppressive authority. Bob Marley unquestioningly mastered walking the fine line between the two, while others like his bandmate, Peter Tosh, would straddle that line with an aggressive, brute force. This juxtaposition in what is jammin’ with what raises the fist has always intrigued me, and what has me still listening with a keen ear.

Today, English reggae band, The Wise Bloods, have unveiled their song, “Eye Out For the Devil,” along with a video to accompany it. The song conjures up that same juxtaposition with a wicked riddim accompanied by precise and unambiguous lyrics that embody the band’s resistance to the vileness of the world while evading the negativity of life. Lead singer of The Wise Bloods, Jesse James, states, “To keep an eye out for the devil means avoiding the traps set by the evils and darkness in the world, starting with being aware of and conquering the weaknesses and negativity within oneself. It is these personal weaknesses that make the individual susceptible to ill intentions and the trappings of this Babylon system.”

The song kicks off with a twinkling of chimes and synthesizer before melting into a bubble piano riff. The song’s opening lyrics follow, giving an explicit warning to the listener: to evade the negative influences of humanity.

Keep an eye out for the Devil cos the devil got his eyes on you

At every turn lie demons

To lead a good man astray

I’n’I must keep awake

James elaborated on the messaging: “The song is about the internal battle to do and be good in a world that is full of badness; bad will, selfishness and falsity that we can get dragged into. The song is a homage for those who find themselves trying to be a better person or coming from a troubled past, circle or circumstance. It’s a warning to keep an eye out for those seeking to bring us back down into the gutter. It is also expressing that the road to be our best self and to overcome our weaknesses is not an easy road. We have to constantly work on improving ourselves to avoid being vulnerable to the things that can bring us down.”

The foreboding message of the song appropriately fits the tone of the music as the band veers into a “darker and more moody expression of reggae.”

According to James, the music video, which is an AI-generated animation with their illustrated album cover art as the starting point, “is a more societal and historical perspective on that same sentiment.” The visuals of the video begin with the artwork of Joe McKelvie, aka Scruffy Garms, before transforming into a grim cybernetic hellscape with the help of an AI program called Kaiber.

James said he asked McKelvie to illustrate the photo “with devilish/demonic characters who look worn by the city.”  He used the same prompt for the AI portion of the video but asked it to be in the style of “futuristic cyberpunk.”

“The video isn’t a direct representation of the song and its inspiration entirely,” said James.  “The video loosely relates to the imagery in the song and to wider recurring themes we put forward in our music.”

While the video paints a dark and somber picture, James explains that it is a portrayal of the band’s home city of London. “The demonic aspect shows the sinister nature of the city and its effect on people. Whether we take notice of the drug addicts, beat-down badly paid workers or greedy money earners who care more about their cars than people, there is something about the city that claims our humanity and natural state of existence.

Continuing, he detailed, “The video goes from an urban dystopian future and starts to transform into a more healthy city and then into enchanted woods where Rastafarian symbolism signifies a peaceful community of people living naturally. The video finally ends at the sea with Moari symbolism. The video captures some wider themes of our music and ethos as a band that have some grounding or basis in Rasta ideology, but I think it is also open to individual interpretation and is good to open up discussion.”

The song is a defining moment for The Wise Bloods and their sound. While the band intends to keep a firm foundation of roots reggae, rather than focusing on an expected formula, they aim to embrace a style that is self-standing, always evolving and unrestrained.

Check out the video and brace yourself as their infectious melodies and thought-provoking lyrics reverberate through the soundwaves, seeping into your very being. Their mesmerizing sound will make it impossible to ignore their warning to stay vigilant and keep your eyes peeled for the sinister.