The Guilt – Naked On My Own

Catching Fire: The Guilt's untamed electroclash sound

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To me, ‘Naked On My Own’ by The Guilt sounds like a powerful electric shock that catapults the electroclash of the 2000s back into the present. After just a few seconds, I am inevitably reminded of Peaches and Chicks On Speed, except that The Guilt present the whole thing in an even rougher and more untamed way. The dirty punk guitars aren't necessarily my favourite sound, but they're simply part of the sound here – that's exactly what makes the song so compelling in its raw energy.

For me, ‘Naked On My Own’ is a stroke of luck because finally there's a track that doesn't see electro punk and electroclash as nostalgia, but as a tool to create something current and intense. I had this feeling five years ago with the song ‘New Knives’, and now The Guilt are picking up where they left off. It doesn't sound smooth or polished, but rather as if the duo are consciously cultivating the rebellious core of this genre.

Lyrically, the song builds a bridge to the digital present. When singer Emma Wahlgren describes the emptiness between constant presence and genuine closeness with lines like "My hand on the phone, reaching no one", I find it incredibly apt. The mantra ‘Naked on my own’ strikes me as a confident statement about isolation without self-pity – it's loud, defiant and uncompromising.

The song doesn't fit into our No. 1 Spotify playlist ‘New Synth Pop Songs’ for my taste, precisely because it's much rougher than the typical synth pop sound. But ‘Naked On My Own’ immediately found its place in our ‘27+ most significant electrorock songs that make you addicted’ playlist. Actually, I realise that I should have created a new playlist for electroclash and electro punk a long time ago.