Worldwide taboos- how detrimental is music to them? (explainer)

Music is something that we all undoubtedly listen to. It’s all around us in a variety of formats, but the topics it touches on can vary. Some of them can be more important to us than we would imagine. 

By Ruby Hemsley 

12th September 2025

British alternative rock band Nothing But Thieves. L-R: James Price, Phil Blake, Joe Langridge-Brown, Conor Mason, Dominic Craik 

“Nothing But Thieves are one of the most crucial bands in the music industry right now” 

Nothing But Thieves are a British alternative rock band formed in 2012, hailing from Southend-on-Sea. The band consists of Conor Mason (lead vocals, guitar), Dominic Craik (guitar, backing vocals, keyboard), Joe Langridge-Brown (lead guitar, backing vocals), Phil Blake (bass) and James Price (drums). They have released 4 LPs and 3 EPs so far, their most recent album, 2023's Dead Club City, becoming their first UK chart topper and earning them worldwide recognition from stars such as Elton John. 

I'm a firm believer that Nothing But Thieves are one of the most crucial bands in the music industry right now and have been for a number of years. Throughout their discography, they focus on some of the world's most important topics and never been afraid to talk about and include them within songs. The two records which highlight these factors most notably are Broken Machine and Moral Panic. 

Above: Nothing But Thieves’ albums, 2017’s Broken Machine and 2020’s Moral Panic

“It showcases how hard it is to be your own person and possess your own mentality” 

Broken Machine was written at a time where the future of the band was uncertain due to previous touring runs, which took a heavy toll, nearly causing the band to end. The album focuses on topics such as religion and politics, but most prominent is the one of mental health. This is unfortunately a taboo subject within modern society, particularly for men. For example, the song Particles highlights how debilitating lead singer Mason's insomnia became for him during tour runs, and how it also affected those around him, as well as his desperation to escape that loophole that he was stuck in. Songs like this aren't widely seen in society as so many find it hard to open up or recognise their own issues, which is why this song is such a centrepiece on the album and within their discography. 

Third album Moral Panic is maybe the most important album due to the state of the current world, particularly that of American politics which seems inescapable right now. With the album being released in 2020, it is common knowledge of how much was happening in the world then too, and how reflective that album was. The light from it has shone even brighter once again with the non-stop worldwide American influence. Many songs on the album focus on politics and a dystopian world, first track Unperson (a nod to George Orwell's 1984), This Feels Like The End (the dwindling chaos and divide within society), but penultimate track Can You Afford to Be An Individual? perfectly incapsulates all of this into one. 

The focus on American politics makes this a hard-hitting, eye-opening song, the most controversial song not just on the album, but from all the band's records too. It highlights how disordered modern society has become, and how difficult it is now to separate what sides are perceived as 'good' and 'evil', as the song quotes, 'now the liberals aren't liberal, they're just as venomous'. It showcases how hard it is to be your own person and possess your own mentality without the influence of others' opinions, which is something that is becoming dangerously harder to do.