With “Staircase Requiem,” Our Geology Club deliver one of their most solemn and purposeful releases to date. Timed for February 20th — the United Nations World Day of Social Justice — the single is more than a song; it’s an act of remembrance. Inspired by Chris Ofili’s 2023 artwork Requiem, created in response to the Grenfell Tower fire, the track carries grief, reflection, and quiet resolve in equal measure.
Rather than turning tragedy into spectacle, Gav and Jon approach the subject with restraint. The music unfolds slowly, almost ceremonially, allowing space for reflection. There is a sense of ascent and weight in the arrangement — fitting for a piece inspired by an artwork installed on the north staircase of Tate Britain. The structure feels intentional, as though each musical movement echoes the physical act of climbing, pausing, remembering. “Staircase Requiem” leans into solidarity and compassion. It doesn’t preach. It doesn’t dramatize. Instead, it holds space. That choice feels powerful. In a cultural climate often saturated with reactive noise, Our Geology Club offer something contemplative — a protest song that whispers rather than shouts. In doing so, they align with their own philosophy: not just protest singers, but writers of protest songs that endure.
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There’s also a hauntological undercurrent — fitting for artists connected to the Traces of Hauntology label. The track feels aware of ghosts: cultural memory, political struggle, unresolved injustice. It doesn’t attempt to resolve them. It acknowledges them. The past lingers in the production, in the mood, in the emotional pacing.“Staircase Requiem” stands as both tribute and reminder. It encourages listeners not only to stream a song, but to visit the artwork, to remember the lives lost, and to reflect on what justice truly means. Gav and Jon have created a piece that feels like a trace — of grief, of conscience, of solidarity — and in doing so, they reinforce their belief that songs can carry memory forward when words alone fall short.
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