EXTRADITION ORDER, “Baby, What Have You Done For Me Lately?”

Enticing harmonies and soft tambourines may not spring to mind when thinking about J. Robert Oppenheimer, but London’s Extradition Order make a compelling case that the sound and subject pair better than you think. Blending stomping rhythms with shimmering guitars, Extradition Order has crafted a self-described “Northern Soul album about the atomic bomb,” but Alastair Harper’s lyrics on “Baby, What Have You Done For Me Lately?” don’t give up the game so easy. Gang of Four-style harmonies punctuate the repeated refrain, “Baby, what have you done for me lately?/I miss your torso, especially when it was unclothed,” which steps away from the specific subject into an accessible portrait of love and longing. Once the horns and voices coalesce in the chorus and the Northern Soul influences shine through, the song transcends into its final form: a kickass kiss-off, more universal and impactful than the man behind the bomb.Want to hear us talk about this song? Check out episode #88 of our podcast at hlycrp.com.