Desperate Journalist continue to impress and rise above the current indie scene with their latest offering, 5 track EP ‘Good Luck’.
Indicating a slight change of perspective for the band, promo-track ‘Perfect Health’ displays all the traits of an indie classic. At first coming across as a sweet reminisce of youthful love, on closer inspection you’ll find a caustic twist in the lyrics. “I don’t really miss you / I just miss my youth,” And with that brief, fleeting, yet perfectly delivered statement, you’re cut to the core. “That track – in particular lyrically – is about romantic longing as a symptom of personal anxiety,” explains singer Jo.
As for the rest of the EP; the title track, which according to Jo “…is a ballad-style kiss-off to a toxic friendship.” is probably the biggest break from what we’ve heard so far. A beautiful haunting song, perfectly showcasing the more sensual side to Jo’s vocal range. it’s one of those tracks that could easily break your heart.
Elsewhere we see the band becoming even more diverse with them taking a slightly more composed, somewhat less anthemic approach to proceedings.- “Sonically it’s still chiming and melodic as our other songs, but also softer sounding and a bit metronomic than a lot of what we have done previously. The ‘Good Luck’ EP documents our progress from our debut towards our next album proper, and as we took it as an opportunity to experiment a bit it is more varied in tone. Alongside the anthemic guitar pop which will be familiar to those who have followed us so far, there are some slightly unusual song structures, more aggressive / heavier elements going on, and sections altogether more sparse and unadorned than anything we have attempted before.”
‘Leave Home’, epic in it’s delivery, combines carefully crafted lyrics with an aggressive stomping intro, followed by one of the finest guitar solo’s you’re likely to encounter this side of Johnny Marr . For the rest; at times, we are on somewhat familiar ground with ‘A Phase’ and ‘Paint Something’- but throughout the whole affair you can sense DJ progressing to the next level. With Rob’s exquisite Rickenbacker,the intoxicating allure of Drowner’s basslines, the ferocity of Hellbent’s drums, and Jo’s confident post-punk punchiness, Desperate Journalist are as near to indie heaven as you’ll find anywhere, from anytime. Bliss!
Good Luck EP is released via Fierce Panda Records on download or CD from the 2nd October
Pre-Order ‘Good Luck’ From The Fierce Panda Store
You can (and really should ) catch Desperate Journalist at the following:
OCTOBER 7TH NOTTINGHAM Bodega
OCTOBER 8TH MANCHESTER Sound Control
OCTOBER 9TH GLASGOW Cathouse
OCTOBER 11TH BIRMINGHAM Oobleck
OCTOBER 12TH SOUTHAMPTON Joiners
OCTOBER 13TH LONDON Borderline
Desperate Journalist are: Jo Bevan – Vocals, Simon Drowner – Bass, Rob Hardy – Guitar, Caz Hellbent – Drums
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