Allan Jamisen’s “The Coalition” unfolds as a shadowy dossier slid across a dimly lit table, equal parts sonic experience and political provocation. From its opening moments, the track announces itself as something deliberately unsettling, not because it is chaotic, but because it is controlled. The recurring refrain, “It’s better than before,” floats in on ghostly synths with a chilling calm, immediately setting a tone of ironic reassurance. This is not comfort—it is indoctrination rendered musical. Jamisen, an outsider artist in the truest sense, uses restraint as a weapon here, letting trip-hop rhythms and industrial textures pulse with ominous precision while the atmosphere slowly tightens around the listener. The result feels cinematic yet intimate, like overhearing a private conversation that exposes a public lie.
Musically, “The Coalition” is a masterclass in tension and contrast. The track’s foundation rests on tightly wound trip-hop beats, their mechanical steadiness suggesting systems that never sleep and agendas that never pause. Industrial thumps and low-end pressure add a sense of mass and inevitability, while unexpected jazz-inflected flourishes—brass stabs, slithering woodwinds—introduce a dark elegance that recalls smoky clubs and espionage thrillers from another era. These jazzy moments feel intentionally jaunty, almost mocking, as if Jamisen is reminding us how easily style and culture can distract from uncomfortable truths. The production never overwhelms the message; instead, it frames it, creating a soundscape that feels retro and unnervingly current, like a forgotten Cold War soundtrack repurposed for modern conflicts.
Jamisen’s vocal performance is the track’s psychological centre. Delivered in a debonair, nocturnal register, his spoken-word and rap-inflected lines cut through the mix with unsettling clarity. When he intones, “This insulated coalition / Preys upon its own volition,” the words land with the weight of an accusation that has already been proven. His alternating vocal approaches—cool detachment one moment, sharper urgency the next—mirror the duality of power structures that present themselves as protectors while operating as predators. There is no melodrama in his delivery, and that’s precisely what makes it effective. Jamisen sounds less like a protester shouting from the streets and more like an observer who has studied the machinery long enough to describe it without illusion.
Lyrically, “The Coalition” is unapologetically direct in its critique of the military-industrial complex and the entanglement of political authority, corporate profit, and armed conflict. The refrain “It’s better than before” functions as the song’s most haunting device—a mantra that exposes how violence is rationalised, sanitised, and sold to the public under the guise of progress and protection. Jamisen’s explanation of the phrase as a psychological tool used by demagogues only deepens its impact; by repeating it until it becomes almost hypnotic, the track forces listeners to confront how easily language can normalise brutality. The song doesn’t offer easy answers or moral relief. Instead, it asks listeners to sit with discomfort, to recognise complicity, and to question narratives that are presented as inevitable or necessary.
What elevates “The Coalition” beyond a standard protest track is its sense of artistic intention and evolution. Born from an experimental collaboration in Phoenix using lo-fi textures and even a humble Casio CK-1, the song carries the spirit of risk and discovery. Its later refinement in Los Angeles with veteran engineer John X Volaitis adds cinematic polish without dulling its edge, enhancing the drama with additional drum programming and piano flourishes. In the context of Jamisen’s recent work, “The Coalition” feels like a culmination—an artist fully embracing his role as a cultural critic unafraid to challenge power structures head-on. It is not an easy listen, nor is it meant to be. Instead, it stands as a stark, stylish indictment of systems that profit from conflict, proving that music can still be a space for confrontation, clarity, and uneasy truth.
For more information, follow Allan Jamisen:
SPOTIFY – INSTAGRAM
