Desperate Journalist – You Say You’re Lonely (Fierce Panda)
Their fifth album, No Hero, is only weeks away and Desperate Journalist give us something a little different but no less wonderful with latest single You Say You’re Lonely
Artist: Desperate Journalist
Track: You Say You’re Lonely
Label: Fierce Panda
Released: 4 September 2024
Find it: Spotify
The reliably brilliant Desperate Journalist have done it again with You Say You’re Lonely, the third single to be released from forthcoming album No Hero.
With scuttling percussion and piano chords we are invited in to a song which matches a bright sound with a darker mood. As we move through the track we tumble with the bass line to find ourselves caught between the slow and steady vocal rise of the verses, and an understated but no less catchy chorus.
Singer Jo Bevan said, “The song is kind of me talking to an imagined younger self, and I wanted it to be equal parts comforting and bleak. The lyrics are purposefully a bit obscure and abstract as I wanted them to be more poetic than specific.
“Musically this is one of the most atmospheric tracks we have yet recorded I think and I’m really proud of how the sparseness and tension in the verse contrasts with the catchy-pop chorus, whilst the song remains cohesive as a whole.”
This a track full of confidently handled juxtaposition, giving it interest so much indie rock lacks. There’s the reassurance and desolation in the lyrics, the sparseness and tension of the verse and chorus that Bevan mentions. But there is also a play with overlapping tempos between the upbeat relentless percussion line and the drawn-out-slowly vocal; a vastness blooming as the track goes on but which leads to a feeling of being trapped in melody and thoughts.
Sitting alongside earlier singles from No Hero – Unsympathetic Parts 1 & 2, and Afraid – through You Say You’re Lonely is a beautiful example of the gothic pop Desperate Journalist do so well.
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You Say You’re Lonely by Desperate Journalist is out digitally now. Album No Hero is out on 27 September on Fierce Panda.
Find Desperate Journalist: Website | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram
Upcoming live dates:
- 13 September – Chinnerys, Southend
- 28 September – Rough Trade London (in-store)
- 30 September – Rough Trade Bristol (in-store)
- 1 October – The Jericho Tavern, Oxford
- 2 October – Rough Trade Liverpool (in-store)
- 21 November – Esquires, Bedford
- 22 November – The Dark Horse, Birmingham
- 23 November – Dust, Brighton
- 15 January – Exchange, Bristol
- 16 January – Bodega, Nottingham
- 17 January – Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds
- 18 January – YES, Manchester
- 23 January – The Garage, Highbury, London
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Sarah Lay
A long-standing music journalist she's also co-founder of independent record label Reckless Yes, an author of novels, and when not messing around with words and music, a digital strategist.
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