George Ward
Freelance journalist and online editor for CLUNK. Can be found out and about in Bristol, finding cheap records or having a pint on King Street.
Black Midi frontman Geordie Greep follows news of the band’s indefinite hiatus with the announcement of his debut album and brand new single ‘Holy, Holy’
black midi have consistently been one of the most entertaining, experimental and impressive bands of the last decade. From their first single with Speedy Wunderground to their countless batshit insane performances and three incredibly complex albums, watching the band rise to the stage they reached was wild and rewarding.
Sadly, after a lengthy tour, the band recently announced they would be taking a break from the project, instead focusing on solo projects. The first of these to materialise is that of eccentric frontman and guitarist Geordie Greep, whose insanely ambitious arrangements and vocals both gorgeous and terrifying coated the walls of every black midi track.
Claiming that the intro to ‘Holy, Holy’ eases you in is an odd thing to say given how aggressive and confrontational it is, but, for black midi fans, it is exactly what they’ve come to love and expect. Very quickly, however, Greep reveals that his solo project is an entirely different beast. ‘Holy, Holy’ is a tropical, jazzy, theatrical track and one of the most ambitious beginnings to a solo career you’ll ever hear.
The instrumentation throughout is lush, aided by the album’s huge crowd of 30 session musicians and, while there are glimmers of black midi throughout, the arrangement, style and feel of the track is entirely its own; it feels fitting that the album was recorded both in the familiar location of London and the unfamiliar São Paulo.
Lyrically, the track oozes with confidence. Greep‘s voice, genuinely very impressive here, leads us through the track, with his narrator beginning arrogant and powerful before his pathetic facade is revealed. The lyrics are funny, tragic and desperate, with the narrator embarrassingly begging a woman for sex, affection and to keep up the image he so longingly wants to uphold.
There has to be an extreme element of trust in your fanbase for a solo artist to veer in such a different direction but, through his unrivalled storytelling and seriously confident arrangement, Geordie Greep has fully committed to his new sound; he couldn’t have made more of an entrance.
Debut LP ‘The New Sound‘ is out on 4th October via Rough Trade Records.
Watch/Listen to ‘Holy, Holy’ here:
