Last year proFESSional burst onto our radar with their post-punk single ‘TELEVISION’ and now the London-based outfit is back with another rebellious new track ‘In The City’. Few songs capture the chaos of the metropolis quite like this. With its jagged energy and relentless momentum, the track embodies both the exhilaration and exhaustion of city living. For On The Record, we spoke with proFESSional‘s lead singer Mani to dive into the inspirations behind the song, from late-night underground journeys to the unexpected influence of English singer-songwriter Mark E. Smith. We also take this opportunity to discuss the band’s creative process, their recent tour experiences and what’s next in 2025. With a fearless, no-holds-barred approach to indie-rock, they’re carving out a sound that’s as raw as it is infectious. Beyond making music, proFESSional are also serving their local community by putting together Big Cheap Night Out, a wild, affordable party designed to bring people together in the spirit of pure, unfiltered music. With that introduction out of the way, let’s hear what proFESSional is about!
Let’s dive right into your new song ‘In The City’, which captures the chaos and love-hate relationship with urban life. What specific aspects of city living inspired the lyrics?
It was more about the experience of being in the city finding yourself in the dynamic off all that the city offers.
Were there any particular city experiences, good or bad, that shaped the song’s energy?
The energy comes from that rush you get from climbing the escalator in a subway, almost like when you dive into the sea and your trying to get out to catch a breath but then you get out into the street and you just get another wave come over you…and you’re chasing every breath. It’s exhilarating and tiring at the same time.
You mentioned that Mark E. Smith and The Fall sparked the idea for the track, so what was it about that moment that clicked for you?
I was watching a Fall concert online when the riff entered my head it was so loud I couldn’t focus anymore I had to stop and record it and when I got back to the concert one of the first lines Mark delivers is “..in the city!”… in a trade mark Mark E Smith was very deadpan nonchalant but it reverberated in me and I immediately put the two together… riff and the line and rest was kinda easy just flew out.
The song was almost fully written in five minutes. Do you often write this quickly, or was this a rare lightning-in-a-bottle moment?
Yes, very often.I tinker for ages and then something happens I don’t know what I’m still trying to figure it out. If often get 95% for of a song in 5 minutes and then spend 3 weeks on other 5% looking for a line or two that slipped away in the madness.
‘In The City’ has an intense, jagged energy. How did you approach capturing that rawness in the studio?
We recorded it as live performance and then did every part separately so it really feels like a live performance.
Your sound is often compared to The Hives, The Buzzcocks, and The Stooges. Are there any modern bands you feel aligned with or inspired by?
We’re really inspired by Mike Stoyanov his got that real rock and roll “I don’t give a fuck what you think” swagger about him and what he does, we love him… sonically we really have a problem finding a contemporary band that sounds like us. We get this question a lot. If you know anyone, let us know about them!
Post-punk has a strong tradition of social commentary. Do you see ‘In The City’ as a statement on modern urban life or is it more of a personal reflection?
For me all my song are both, they are a personal reflections on my experience being a part of a modern day society with all its pros and cons. Every experience is an opportunity to realize yourself and music or any art is a way to express what you realized. And then I guess people that had same realization connect with it.
You’ve just come off tour with The Levellers and The Luka State. What was that experience like? Any memorable moments on the road?
We loved those gigs. It was great experience and the crowd was amazing really. That feeling when people get into your sound is incredible. Rob had someone come up to him after a gig saying they had the worse week ever and they came down to watch some music to make themselves feel better and we put a smile back on their face. That was really nice to hear. We’re making a world a better place. One person at a time. We need to do a lot more gigs.
What does 2025 have in store for you? And is there anything that proFESSional fans should be looking out for?
We got a lot of dates confirmed UK and Europe but the most exciting thing is our Big Cheep Night Out. We have decided to take all of our marketing money and throw a biggest party we can put together and make it dirt cheap for people to enjoy. £5 to get in and half price drinks and tons of entertainment, performance artists and support bands. Madness. Don’t miss it!!!
You can also listen to ‘In The City’ in our Indie Rockers playlist.
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