I think Georgia-based singer-songwriter Teddy Swims (born Jaten Collin Dimsdale) is one of the finest vocalists around today. Influenced by the soul music of artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Al Green his father had introduced him to as a child, he creates powerful, highly relatable songs blending a range of genres, including soul, country, pop and alternative rock. His beautiful song “Bad Dreams”, from his second album I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2) released in January, takes over the top spot on my latest Top 30 chart.
He wrote the song after experiencing sleepless nights with recurring nightmares, but wanted it to be upbeat rather than maudlin. Inspired by his current wife, he wrote about how her love helps comfort and heal him: “Slippin into bad dreams, where there’s no you and I. No sound when I cry. I love you and I need you to set me free from all of these bad dreams.” In addition to Swims’ raw, soulful vocals, I love the sublime melody and charming ukelele played throughout. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart, #7 on the Adult Top 40 chart, and #42 on the Hot 100. It’s Swims’ second song to reach #1 on my chart, after “Lose Control” in February of last year. His single “The Door” spent two weeks at #4 in November.
In other chart news of note, “Imposter Syndrome” by English alternative rock band Fake Empire advances two spots to #3. Even though the song runs 7:45 minutes in length, those The Cure and Depeche Mode-like musical elements sound so good I don’t want it to end. Also climbing three spots are “People Watching” by English singer-songwriter Sam Fender, “Take This Heart” by Texas singer-songwriter Brian Lambert, and “Rushmere” by English folk rock band Mumford & Sons, to #s 4, 5 & 6, respectively. The beautiful “Time Waited” by American indie rock band My Morning Jacket is the biggest upward mover this week, jumping 11 spots to #14.
And for the third week in a row there are two debut songs, the first of which is “Ankles” by Virginia-born and now L.A.-based singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus. The sweet, endearing song is from her wonderful fourth album Forever Is A Feeling, which dropped this past Friday, March 28th. Dacus is also a member of supergroup boygenius, which she formed in 2018 with Phoebe Bridgers and her current life partner Julien Baker.
The second debut, entering at #30, is the boisterous garage-blues rocker “Archbishop Harold Holmes” by Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jack White. From his sixth studio album No Name, released last July (2024), the song is a critique of religious fundamentalism, particularly those who see themselves as vessels of God entrusted with saving people for their own selfish gain. According to the music website GENIUS, “The song is written in the form of a junk letter one might get in the mail from some religious organization (expressed by the opening lyrics “Dear friend. If you want to feel better, don’t let the devil make you toss this letter“). The lyrics invoke that of preaching, but are also in the style of as-seen-on-tv advertising as well as references to internet chain mail and pyramid schemes.”
BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (2)
SO COLD – Balu Brigada (1)
IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (5)
PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (7)
TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (8)
RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (9)
YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (3)
METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (10)
THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (4)
SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (6)
SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (13)
WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (12)
WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (14)
TIME WAITED – My Morning Jacket (25)
STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (17)
WALLS – Frank Joshua (18)
LUTHER – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (19)
THE NIGHT BEFORE – The Black Keys (20)
BAD LARRY – Cloakroom (21)
MORTAL WOUND – The Veils (22)
THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (15)
THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras (24)
AFTER ALL – Darksoft (23)
SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (11)
IT’S AMAZING TO BE YOUNG – Fontaines D.C. (29)
AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (16) 19th week on chart
“So Cold” by Balu Brigada, the music project of multi-instrumentalist and writer/producer brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley, is still my favorite song and thus remains at #1 on my Top 30 chart for a third week. Moving into second place is the captivating “Bad Dreams” by Teddy Swims (aka American singer-songwriter Jaten Collin Dimsdale), while the darkly beautiful “Imposter Syndrome” by English alternative rock band Fake Empire moves up three spots to #5. Nashville band extraordinaire Cage the Elephant enter the top 10 with “Metaverse”, a great track from their latest album Neon Pill.
Two songs enter my chart this week, the first of which is the magical “It’s Amazing To Be Young” by Irish band Fontaines D.C., who’ve become one of my favorite acts. Their song “Starburster” was my #1 song of 2024, with “Favourite” ranking #8, both from their most recent album Romance, which was also my favorite album of 2024. As a now old man, I can attest to the fact that being young is most definitely amazing! The second debut is “Poor Sad Indie Everything” by Maryland-based shoegaze/indie rock band Icarus Phoenix. I featured the gorgeous song on a recent Fresh New Tracks post, and I absolutely love band frontman Drew Danburry’s enchanting vocals.
SO COLD – Balu Brigada (1)
BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (4)
YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (2)
THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (3)
IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (8)
SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (5)
PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (7)
TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (9)
RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (10)
METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (12)
SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (6)
WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (14)
SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (15)
WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (18)
THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (16)
Charismatic duo Balu Brigada‘s wonderful “So Cold” remains at #1 for a second week, while “You’re My Drug” by one of my favorite indie artists, Northern Virginia-based Talk in Waves, moves up a notch into second place. Two songs enter the top 10 this week – the sensuous, bluesy rocker “Take This Heart” by another favorite indie artist of mine, Texas-based singer-songwriter and guitarist Brian Lambert, at #9, and the exuberant foot-stomper “Rushmere” by English folk rock band Mumford & Sons, at #10.
Debuting this week are the introspective and lovely “Time Waited” by American indie rock band My Morning Jacket, at #29. Formed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1998, the band currently consists of founding members Jim James (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Tom Blankenship (bass), as well as Patrick Hallahan (drums & percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion & backing vocals), and Carl Broemel (lead guitar, pedal steel, saxophone & backing vocals). Their gorgeous single “Feel You” went to #1 on my Top 30 and ranks #6 on my list of 100 Best Songs of 2020. Entering at #30 is the hauntingly beautiful “Snakeskin” by English artist NAVE, the music project of the hyper-talented and thoughtful singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Nathan Evans, who I’ve featured several times on this blog, most recently last month when I reviewed his album X. “Snakeskin” is his second song to appear on my Top 30, the first being “Broken Record”, which went to #1 and ranks #14 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list.
SO COLD – Balu Brigada (1)
YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (3)
THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (2)
BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (5)
SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (4)
SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (8)
PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (9)
IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (10)
TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (13)
RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (14)
AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (6)
METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (16)
DETROIT – Badflower (7)
WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (15)
SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (17)
THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (11)
I have a great Top 30 chart to share this week, as in addition to a marvelous new #1 song and four new entries, several of my favorite indie artists are represented here, which always makes me happy.
Alternative pop-rock act Balu Brigada is the music project of multi-instrumentalist and writer/producer brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley. Originally from Auckland, New Zealand but based in New York City since 2022, the band formed in 2016 as a four-piece but now consists of the charismatic Beasley brothers, along with Jackson Boswell on drums. Though they’ve been putting out music since 2016 – they released their first singles “Ricochet” and “Weekend” that year, followed by more singles and a 10-track EP Almost Feel Good Mixtape in 2019, a 7-track EP I Should Be Home in 2022, and a 6-track EP Find A Way in 2023 – it wasn’t until late 2024 that I learned about them when their song “So Cold” appeared on the Billboard Alternative charts. The song was released way back in June 2024, and later included on their compilation EP BALU, which came out two months later.
Balu Brigada had the good fortune to open for Twenty One Pilots on their Clancy World Tour, which exposed them to a much wider audience. The tour ran in North America from mid-August to mid-October 2024, Australia and New Zealand in November 2024 and Latin America in January and February of this year. They will also be joining Twenty One Pilots on their Europe & UK run of the tour from April-May 2025. On March 5th, the guys made their debut appearance on American television, giving an electrifying performance of “So Cold” on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show. The exuberant earworm is my new current favorite song, dethroning Twenty One Pilots from the top spot!
Entering the top 10 are “People Watching” by English alternative pop-rock singer-songwriter Sam Fender and the captivating “Imposter Syndrome” by English alternative rock band Fake Empire, at #s 9 and 10, respectively.
Four newish songs make their debut on this week’s chart, beginning with the beautiful “Bad Larry” by northwest Indiana stoner emo band Cloakroom, which I learned about from fellow blogger Christian when he featured the act on his blog Christian’s Music Musings. I love those twangy guitars, and their sound reminds me a bit of Lord Huron. The song is from their latest album Last Leg of the Human Table. Next up is another song I learned about through Christian, the gorgeous “Mortal Wound” by British indie rock band The Veils, entering at #28. The song is from their seventh and latest album Asphodels, released on January 24th.
Coming in at #29 is the enchanting “After All” by Maine-based dream rock act Darksoft, which I featured last month in a Fresh New Tracks post. His music is always sumptuous and pleasing and his vocals ethereal and soothing, and I’ve loved every single one of his songs. His single “You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do”, from his beautiful fourth album Beigeification, ranks #71 on my 100 Best Songs of 2023 list. “After All” is from his seventh album Rationalism, which dropped February 21st. Last, but certainly not least, is the uplifting and boisterous “The Turnaround” by Philadelphia power pop trio DelCobras, a new band comprised of Jim Lorino (lead vocals, guitar & synths), Marc Schuster (bass & vocals) and Nick Cervini (drums). I featured the rousing anthem of self redemption in another Fresh New Tracks post.
SO COLD – Balu Brigada (2)
THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (1)
YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (4)
SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (6)
BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (7)
AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (3)
DETROIT – Badflower (5)
SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (9)
PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (12)
IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (13)
THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (8)
Welsh indie artists Secret Postal Society and Guy Challenger have teamed up to create a wonderful little EP titled Embrace The Fear to help raise funds for the UK youth suicide prevention charity PAPYRUS. The EP contains four tracks consisting of two songs – “Embrace” by Guy Challenger and “The Fear” by Secret Postal Society, along with alternate versions of each song recorded by the other artist.
Secret Postal Society is the music project of singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist Craig Mapstone. In addition to being a hard-working and talented musician and songwriter, Craig is also thoughtful, generous and kind, and I’m quite fond of him on both a personal and professional level. He was fairly active in the South Wales music scene, writing songs and playing in various local bands for several years, primarily as a drummer. But like every other musician, when the Covid pandemic hit in 2020 he was stuck at home with a lot of time on his hands, so late that year, he decided to focus on his music. He created Secret Postal Society as his outlet, and challenged himself to write, record and release a new original song for every week of 2021. Amazingly, he achieved his goal, ultimately putting out 53 songs, including two Christmas-themed tracks, along with a video to accompany each single, as well as original artwork for each month’s four-track bundle! (I wrote about this herculean effort here.)
Once that monumental effort was finished, he took over as host of the Welsh Connections Playlist radio show for a couple of years, and along with his friends Mike Kennedy and Kaysha Louvain, created TIWN Media and TIWN PR & Plugging, which also produces and monthly magazine featuring news, reviews and articles about independent artists from Wales and beyond. He now works for Mental Health First Aid Wales and continues to release music as Secret Postal Society, both as a solo act and in collaboration with other artists. His beautiful single “Autumn Leaves” has spent the past three months on my Top 30 chart, and currently sits at #3.
Photo by Barry Hill
Guy Challenger is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Swansea. Largely inspired by the works of Daniel Johnston, Guy creates sublime, often melancholic acoustic songs touching on issues like emotional well-being and mental health. A prolific artist as well, he’s released a lot of music over the past few years, including a 24-track album Appearances this past December, two EPs earlier in the year, and an album Patina in 2023. As if all that weren’t enough, he also plays drums with Swansea garage rock band The Vandrells.
Photo by Adam
The first track on the EP is Secret Postal Society’s recording of “Embrace“, which originally appeared on Guy’s 2023 album Patina. This SPS version is languid and atmospheric, with a somewhat melancholy feel, and more than twice as long as Guy’s original. And whereas Guy’s version features primarily acoustic guitar, Craig employs gentle droning synths accompaned by a crisp percussive beat and jangly guitar notes, punctuated with some terrific rock guitar riffs. He injects a few muted shouts at one point into his smooth vocal delivery, which creates a nice bit of tension as he sings “Does everybody feels like this? Does everybody lie with the devil? If everybody feels like this, why don’t we all cry out as one?/ We’re helpless and we’re desperate. But I’ll try to tie all of this together, and embrace the bad weather.”
Guy has also recorded a new version of his wonderful original, which now sounds more vibrant with the addition of what sounds like subtle string synths accompanying his urgently-strummed acoustic guitar. His lovely vocals are filled with emotion as he sings his heartfelt lyrics about letting go of our fears and trying to find some peace of mind amid the chaos.
Secret Postal Society’s “The Fear” was originally released in September 2021 and has been remixed and remastered by Brandon Green, a Texas-based musician and producer he’s collaborated with several times. (Brandon mastered all four tracks on the EP.) His version is a compelling, guitar-driven pop/rock song about the challenges of maintaining honest and open communication in a relationship, expressed in the poignant lyrics: “Ask me no questions, I’ll tell you no lies. I’ll give you the answers in my own time. I thought I was ready, I guess that I was wrong. But nobody’s perfect, just look in their eyes. We all play our part in the great disguise. I wanted to hide, but I found my mask was gone. As I lay here it’s taking me over./ Again I feel the fear building up all around me in here.” Craig is a terrific guitarist, and I love his spirited riffs throughout the track.
Guy reimagines the song in his own acoustic style, giving it a totally different but equally marvelous treatment. His beautiful guitar work, an intricate combination of strumming and finger-picking techniques, is positively sublime. His plaintive vocals nicely convey the wrenching emotions expressed in Craig’s lyrics.
In their press release for the Embrace The Fear, the guys explain: “The overall message of the EP is to follow your heart, listen to the goodness in the world and bloom in adversity by not letting the difficulties of the past stop you from achieving your potential. Embrace those fears, forgive those fears, let those fears go. Then forge ahead stronger, confident and fearless.” I think it’s pretty brilliant how Craig and Guy have combined their two songs into a coherent and relatable narrative, and for a great cause no less!
Embrace The Fear is available for download on Bandcamp through Rushed Records, with 100% of the proceeds going to the charity PAPYRUS, one of the leading youth suicide prevention charities in the UK. Their suicide prevention helpline, HOPELINE274, is staffed by trained suicide prevention advisers, who work with young people – and anybody concerned for a young person – to help keep them safe from suicide.
Not a lot of changes on this week’s Top 30, with Twenty One Pilots holding the top spot for a second week with their beautiful and cinematic “The Line”, while Balu Brigada remain at #2 with “So Cold”. Two songs by powerhouse acts make their debut this week, the first of which is “luther” by rapper Kendrick Lamar and alternative R&B/hip hop singer-songwriter SZA (born Solána Imani Rowe). The two previously collaborated on “All The Stars” in 2018, one of my favorite songs of the 2010s. “luther”, which is currently #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, features a sample of “If This World Were Mine”, a 1982 song by the late, great Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn, and I Iove the beautiful strings. The second debut is “The Night Before” by always wonderful blues rock band The Black Keys. The song is the lead single from their forthcoming 13th album No Rain, No Flowers, to be released later in the year.
THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (1)
SO COLD – Balu Brigada (2)
AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (5)
YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (6)
DETROIT – Badflower (7)
SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (8)
BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (10)
THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (4)
SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (9)
ARROW – The Head and The Heart (3)
DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton (11)
PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (13)
IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (15)
AFTERLIFE – Sharon Van Etten (12)
TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (18)
RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (19)
HERE WE GO AGAIN – Set the Tone (17)
WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (23)
METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (24)
SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (25)
IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (14)
SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (16)
WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (27)
STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (29)
WALLS – Frank Joshua (30)
GILD THE LILY – Billy Strings (21)
BOBBY SOX – Green Day (20)
NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (22) 20th week on chart
As the United States – under the control of a brazenly corrupt administration headed by a team of cruel psychopaths and Russian sympathizers – quickly descends into an outright authoritarian oligarchy, at least we continue to have lots of great music to help keep us from going totally insane. February 28th appears to have been a big day for new releases, which means it’s time for another installment of my Fresh New Tracks series. Today I’m showcasing songs by English rock band Amongst Liars, American shoegaze/indie rock band Icarus Phoenix, British-Danish electronic rock duo Perpacity, and Australian indie pop-rock band Thunder Fox.
Amongst Liars – “The Insane Ones”
Photo by Vic Payne
I’m not normally a big fan of hard rock, but I sure do love English band Amongst Liars. Their aggressive yet melodic style of modern rock, fortified by fearsome vocals, have earned them a loyal and passionate following, me included. Based in the Brighton/Eastbourne area on the southern coast of England, the band consists of Ian George (lead vocals & guitar), Leo Burdett (guitar & backing vocals), Ross Towner (bass & backing vocals), Adam Oarton (drums), and James Brumeo (keyboards & piano). I first learned about them in early 2020 and was intantly blown away by their explosive debut single “Over and Over”. They’ve since released numerous outstanding hard-hitting singles (many of which I’ve reviewed on this blog) and two critically acclaimed albums, Amongst Liars in 2022 and By Design in 2024.
And speaking of trying to not go insane, Amongst Liars are back with a fiery new single “The Insane Ones“. As with all their music, the track was produced and mixed by David Radahd-Jones at Red City Recordings in Manchester, and mastered by Grant Berry at Fader Mastering. About the track, the band explains: “‘The Insane Ones’ was written and recorded in autumn 2024, in anticipation of the events currently unfolding in the U.S., but we believe it is now more relevant than ever. The song addresses fake news and propaganda that spread false narratives and brainwashing, encouraging people to bring out the worst versions of themselves and support extreme ideologies promoting unnecessary intolerance and hatred towards fellow human beings. It may be heavy subject matter, but someone needs to address the narrative – even a humble ‘lil rock band from Eastbourne.” Needless to say, given my political leanings the song deeply resonates with me, with biting lyrics calling out our duplicitous leaders: “We are the insane ones they try to blame, to blame. They set us up so we can fight for them. They set us up so we can die for them.” The dramatic cover artwork was designed by Adam Ingrams.
Icarus Phoenix – “Poor Sad Indie Everything”
Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland is Icarus Phoenix, a shoegaze/indie rock band comprised of frontman Drew Danburry (guitar & lead vocals), Eli Sims (drums), Leena Rhodes (guitar, vocals and synths), Brendan Russell (bass), Peyton Rodeffer (guitar & vocals), as well as Andrew Young (drums, percussion). Originally formed in 2020 in Missoula, Montana, the band has experienced multiple lineups. They’ve released quite a bit of music, starting with their self-titled debut album in 2021, followed by two more albums that year, another in 2022 and their most recent, I Should Have Known the Things You Never Said, last August (2024), along with numerous singles at what appears to be at a rate of one every three weeks. Danburry has independently toured and released a staggering amount of solo music since 2002 , including over 400 songs on over 20 albums and 13 EPs, and has played more than 800 shows worldwide, all accomplished almost entirely DIY.
As I always do for an artist or band I’m writing about for the first time, I listened to quite a bit of their back music catalog, and I really like their pleasing sound and intelligent, poetic lyrics. Their latest single “Poor Sad Indie Everything“, is positively stunning, with a gorgeous mix of shimmery and chiming guitars accompanied by enchanting strings consisting of viola played by Kevin Nelson and cello by Alea Nelson. Danburry’s vocals are soothing and sweet as he sings “When the love we find, takes flight into a different corner. Loss of blind defines, that ducking, flowing stream when stars align.” The band provided a brief explanation about the song: “Sometimes a moment of beauty stays with us. A moment that shines through brilliantly and sears itself into our brain. We’re lucky to experience said moment. We recognize that. So we write it down. Document it. Save it for later. We go back in our memory when times are hard. Something that gives life meaning. Purpose. Joy. Well….times are hard.” Indeed they are, which is why we need uplifting and beautiful songs like this.
Perpacity – “The Void”
Perpacity is an electronic music act comprised of British singer-songwriter, composer and producer Ian Harling and Danish singer-songwriter, composer and producer Martin Nyrup. They’re both accomplished musicians with over 20 years of experience, and have been collaborating together for over a decade. Their sound is characterized by haunting melodies, lush electronic soundscapes and driving beats, with thoughtful and compelling lyrics. Since 2015, they’ve released five albums and scores of singles, two of which, “Granite” and it’s B-side “Never Let Go”, I reviewed in 2022. Those tracks were included on their fifth album Discordia, released in June 2023.
Now they’re back with “The Void“, the second single (after “Racing With Flamingoes”) from their forthcoming sixth album Poverty Of The Flesh, due for release in August. Released through the Town And Towers Records label, the song has a dark, brooding vibe that calls to mind some of the songs by Depeche Mode. About the song, Perpacity explain: “’The Void’ grew out of a conversation about the uncertain state of today’s world, and how best to act in the face of impending doom. The track highlights the inevitability of destruction, and the many ways people cope – through belief, denial, or simply by embracing and venturing into the void.” The guys drive home their message with darkly beautiful yet almost menacing industrial synths set to a hypnotic beat, overlain by their droning vocals backed by an otherwordly ethereal chorus. The accompanying video, featuring a mix of actual disaster footage and AI-generated imagery of hellish landscapes, provides an unsettling and fitting visual for their song.
Thunder Fox – “Never Got That Far”
Photo by Del Brown
Mere words cannot express how much I adore Australian band Thunder Fox. The Sydney-based five-piece is one of the most creative, wickedly funny and insanely talented – not to mention sexiest – acts around, and I’ve gushed about them and their music numerous times on this blog over the past five and a half years. Comprised of the charismatic and silky-voiced Sam Dawes (lead vocals & guitar), Travers Keirle (Sax, vocals & rhymes), Jesse Tachibana (trumpet, vocals & synths), Max Vallentine (drums), and Jarrah Murray (bass), they skillfully blend funk, soul, blues rock, hip hop, jazz and pop into their delectable music stew. In addition to sounding great, their music has a stylish and jazzy sophistication, thanks to their outstanding songwriting and musicianship, including having both a saxophone and trumpet player in their lineup. They’ve released a tremendous amount of music since 2016, including three marvelous albums, two of which – Love at First Sniff (2019) and Sanctuary (2021) – I reviewed.
Their latest single “Never Got That Far” was inspired by Sam’s coming to terms with his drinking problem and taking responsibility for any hurt and misunderstandings he may have caused. He elaborates: “’Never Got That Far’ is our apology on behalf of all those who didn’t know themselves well enough to do right by our friends. For all the fumblers and fuckpeople who wish they did better when they had the chance – perhaps for a time machine to take us back, to try it again. We’ve been there. Let’s cry about it real quick then grow and learn together!” Though somewhat melancholy, the song is also enchanting and lovely, with great guitar work and organ accompanied by Jesse’s wonderful trumpet and some fine harmonica. Sam’s soulful, plaintive vocals are vulnerable and filled with regret as he apologizes to someone with whom he could have had a romantic relationship: “So you’ll know, I often wonder who we’d be if I had met you there. Guess we’ll never know. But you don’t have to forgive me. Never made no one love me when they didn’t. Just know that I’m sorry we never got that far.”
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 