Plastic Orange by Rubbish Party: Review

by admin March 21, 2026

March 21, 2026

Hailing from Warwickshire and dropped on 10 March 2026, Rubbish Party return with a bruising, bittersweet single called “Plastic Orange.” Led by lyricist Evan Zorn Von Berg, whose world-smash EP Love and Decay announced them on the map, the band straps together synth wizardry, roaring guitar, and a bruised, theatrical voice to tell a story of betrayal and self-destruction. Recorded in Alfred Lavender’s basement, it has that homegrown grit married to stadium-sized ambition.

Right off the bat, a pumping beat grabs you by the collar, then Crimson Creep’s warm synth flow in, and the guitars begin their inevitable climb. Edward Clutterbuck’s voice is thick and matter-of-fact, the perfect foil for Von Berg’s knife-edged lines. He sings, “Toxic Girls have ruined my world, but am I just as bad for wanting more…” questioning who’s to blame for all the damage brought to him.

There’s a clever false ending mid-track, a heartbeat of silence, before the band kicks back in and the narrative unspools into a shimmering instrumental that makes you float and flinch at once. Lyrically, the song is unflinching, even grotesque at moments (the image of swallowing a plastic orange is both darkly comic and tragically raw), yet the production keeps it oddly tender. Thornton McDaniel’s bass anchors the chaos while the drums march like a stubborn heartbeat, and the interplay of synth and snarling guitar gives the track a cinematic push-pull.

All told, “Plastic Orange” sits somewhere between indie grit and glam melodrama. It’s messy in all the best ways, flawed, and addictive. This is Rubbish Party at full throttle. It’s loud, wounded, and utterly magnetic. Play it loud, feel it.