John Serrano is a talented and versatile singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. Drawing from alternative and progressive rock, blues, electronica, synthwave and jazz influences, the genre-bending artist has created an extensive, colorful and eclectic catalog of music. From what I can tell, he’s been writing and recording songs for nearly 10 years but became more serious about his music in 2021, and in the years since, has produced and released an impressive amount of it, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with other musicians. On the strength of his outstanding music, wholehearted support for other artists, and active networking with others on social media, he’s earned quite a loyal following over the past year or so.

Proof of Serrano’s prodigious music output was on display this week, as he released two beautiful new singles back-to-back. Shortly after I’d decided to write about his song “Oh, well“, which he released on March 13th, he went and dropped another new single “Better Times” the next day, along with the following explanation: “Y’all made me feel so good about ‘Oh, well’ yesterday, I felt like locking myself up in the studio for ten hours again. This is what came up. Thanks for listening, and thank you for your support, YOU make this possible.” Naturally, I have no choice but to write about them both!

“Oh, well” is a loving tribute to his grandmother María Dolores Pozo Gerónimo, who passed away on March 10th at the age of 92. Serrano called her his angel, now gone but not forgotten. In his contemplative lyrics, he ponders his life without her warm and reassuring presence: “Oh, well, what am I supposed to do without you? Oh, well, what am I supposed to do now you’re gone? I can’t help but wonder. Oh, well. We’re all bones in the end, but you left so much love here. Oh, well.”

The song is a departure from his more typical dynamic synth-fueled sound, with a languid, singer-songwriter vibe more akin to songs by the likes of Chris Isaak. The spare music, all of which was played by Serrano, features layered strummed guitars, accompanied by sparkling piano keys and a haunting harmonica, all of which create a melancholy but lovely backdrop for his warm, heartfelt vocals.

Serrano stays in his more introspective mood with “Better Times”, a darkly beautiful song of apology and regret he dedicates to ‘Isabel’. The song has a jazzy adult-contemporary feel, highlighted by a melancholy piano accompanied by strummed guitar notes and gentle bass. He has a gorgeous emotive singing voice, which sounds better than ever here. He effortlessly transitions from moments of gentle, almost whispery croons to impassioned, soaring wails and back again as he laments of his sorrow and pain: “How can I say how I sorry I am for leaving you alone? For being myself./ And it’s been a minute. It’s been a while since the last time, and I feel like drinking to better times. Yes I feel like drinking to better times. But those better times are gone.”

In addition to making great music, Serrano is also an accomplished writer and visual artist who’s created marvelous cover art for many of his releases. Seems like a kind of Renaissance man to me!

Follow John:  Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram

Find his music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube