Liberal party’s diss track ‘sounds better on mute’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the Liberal Party’s election tactics are “beyond comprehension” after the release of an American-style diss track that has fallen flat with voters.
The Liberals dropped the hip hop song, Leaving Labor, on SoundCloud on Monday, with an unknown singer rapping about the cost of living.
The cringeworthy song, which appears to emulate American music to appeal to young people, comes as a poll shows voters turning from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton because of concern over US President Donald Trump.
Listeners instantly panned the tune with comments such as “This sounds amazing on mute”, “absolutely AI-generated” and “whack American accent”.
“To the untrained ear, this sounds like shit: Old rich people trying faux Atlanta rap filtered with Oxiclean and bleach to make it whiter in a wretched attempt at appealing to younger audiences,” wrote listener Victor Crespo.
“To the trained ear that’s heard any music at all, this sounds like a tragedy.”
Another comment asked “Who the f— let boomers onto SoundCloud, this was supposed to be a safe space.”
The song opens with the lyrics:
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“It ain’t the way that it’s s’posed to be / The money we’re spending on groceries.
Just want buy some eggs and cheese / One hundred bucks, you’re kidding me.
It costs too much to live / The economy’s lookin’ a mess.
So we livin’ cheque to cheque / Labor’s got us feeling so stressed.
We need to find a solution / We need to switch up the people in power.”
In Tasmania on Monday, Albanese said some of the Liberals’ election tactics were “way beyond my comprehension”.
“You know, there’s lots of really good Australian music around,” said Albanese, who is known for his love of rock music.
“We heard one of those at my campaign launch yesterday: Sounds of Then by the great GANGgajang. We can all sing This is Australia.
“I’m running as an Australian Prime Minister on Australian values. I’ll leave it to others to say why they consistently just borrow cultures and ideas and policies from other places as well.”
Also asked about the track on Monday, Dutton said he had not heard it.
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“I’m sure the gurus have put together a cracking ad,” he said.
An image of Albanese as an emoji shrugging its shoulders was used as the song’s cover art. It appears to be a take on Drake’s album Certified Lover Boy, which uses a pregnant woman emoji.
Shrugging Anthony Albanese as the cover of the Leaving Labor track.
The opposition has been accused of stealing ideas from America during this election campaign, a tactic that may not appeal to voters if a new poll is anything to go by.
A Resolve Strategic poll for Nine Newspapers on Tuesday showed 35 per cent of undecided voters said they were less likely to back Dutton because of what Trump is doing in the US.
The shift cut support for the Coalition to just 46.5 per cent in two-party terms – down from 50 per cent less than one month ago.
Support for Labor lifted to a lead of 53.5 per cent in two-party terms.
A separate Newspoll on Monday showed Labor solidifying its lead over the Coalition, 52 to 48 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.
While 64 per cent of voters expected Labor to win the election compared to 36 per cent for the Coalition, a minority Labor government was considered the most likely outcome.
Despite trailing in the polls for most of the year, Labor regained ground going into the election. The Coalition has lost support after initially pledging to ban public servants from working from home.
A YouGov poll last week also put Labor ahead of the Coalition, 52.5 per cent to 47.5 per cent, on a two-party-preferred basis, with the suggestion Dutton could lose his Brisbane seat of Dickson at the May 3 poll.
But Dutton rejected suggestions he was ignoring the needs of his electorate as he campaigned across the country.
“It’s a great part of the world, but the polling I’ve seen puts us in a comfortable position. I’m happy with that,” he said in Brisbane on Monday.
“If the Prime Minister’s still continuing with the charade that he could form a majority government, I think people are seeing through that.”
On primary votes, the Newspoll registered a one-point drop for the Coalition to 35 per cent while Labor’s support remained steady on 33 per cent.
The survey registered a seven-point rise in approval for Albanese, leaving him with an overall reading of -4, while Dutton’s net approval rating dipped two points to -19.
Albanese’s rating as the better prime minister was up one point to 49 per cent while those preferring Dutton in the role dipped two points to 38 per cent.
