Description
In their sixth powerhouse album, the Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan (WRNTDP) led by Gordon Chapman-Fox intentionally unravels the story of New Towns while calling out the decline of the post-war consensus. Public Works and Utilities, which hit the scenes in 2025, with a glaring focus on the needy public services which have been neglected and subjected to privatisation since the 80s.
It’s a critique that Chapman-Fox finds hard to swallow, based on retrospect criticism of a developed nation throwing away vital infrastructure such as power, water or rail network. Chapman-Fox’s passionate fury fuels his aim to make Warrington-Runcorn a manifesto of the current times rather than a rehash of tear-tinted nostalgia. The artist feels that these crucial sectors hardly function four decades down the line, acting mainly as a conduit of draining the public’s hard-earned resources to feed seemingly already filled shareholders pockets.
The artist’s rage regarding declining public services provides a new, raw edge to this album. It manifests in an unlikely upbeat, danceable dimension to the music — still atmospheric like previous albums but with an added desire to get people’s feet moving. This change aligns with the content of Chapman-Fox’s live shows, the album predominantly consisting of tracks designed and performed live.
With the launch of Public Works and Utilities, the Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan (WRNTDP) initiates further exploration into the unique blend of bold visual art and arresting retro-futuristic audio elements. This synchrony transforms Gordon Chapman-Fox’s project into a controversial musical collection that mirrors a northern English community journey from the mid 1970’s to early 1980’s.
Chapman-Fox’s work has attracted a diverse audience, from mainstream BBC Radio and RTE to niche publications. The immense appreciation for his polished, profound drift extends to topping the UK album charts and featuring on multiple ‘end-of-year’ lists. His 2023 album, The Nation’s Most Central Location, raised the bar even further, winning album of the year from Electronic Sound and cementing WRNTDP’s stature in the music scene.
Though Album Public Works and Utilites adorns quite a vivid visual look, it’s the quality of the nostalgic tunes that forms the core of Chapman-Fox’s presentation. With basslines that rumble in the air and chord swells that send shivers down your spine, Chapman-Fox’s approach forms a considerable part of Warrington-Runcorn’s identity. His music is perfect for envisioning the construction of a new world or the ending of an old one, but no one can predict precisely where the artist’s evolution will go next. Whatever the future holds, with hints of folk minimalism, glittering IDM, and sprawling ambient sounds, it’s safe to say it will be exciting.
