Cyrus Larcombe Moore
Cyrus is a poet and journalist with Essential Tremor from Devon. He’s now based in Belfast studying MA Poetry at Queens University Belfast.
As the final teaser before the release of his debut album, Geordie Greep takes familiar sounds to a whole new level on ‘Blues’
Geordie Greep’s latest single ‘Blues‘ gives a second and final glimpse into his upcoming debut solo album ‘The New Sound‘. But, make no mistake, this is no blues record. The song opens with breakneck prog riffs, before glitching into the track proper. There, we’re met with jagged musical precision and another of Greep’s problematic lyrical subjects.
Since their split, Black Midi’s former members have stated their work had become less fulfilling, hence the breakup, but ‘Blues‘ will feel familiar to any fan of Black Midi. Morgan Simpson’s drumming harks back to their former sound, which we heard Greep perform alongside for three albums.
‘Blues‘ has the former Black Midi vocalist hoist another toxic man, yet where the debut single ‘Holy Holy‘ embodied its subject, ‘Blues‘ simply calls them out. Greep creates a distance that ‘Holy Holy‘s‘ first-person voice does not, pointing directly at its target with a powerful ‘you’. All the while, the specific and minute details of his lyrics make this feel personal, as if he knows the man. We’ve moved from camp piss-take to over five minutes of mockery, irony and ridicule.
Although Greep’s music has become more curious and exploratory, the Latin rhythms and camp of ‘Holy Holy‘ have been replaced by a sound that is more familiar but significantly evolved. All the while, his voice has since grown in stature, with these two singles showcasing how powerful a singer Geordie Greep has become; he has never sounded more assured.
‘Blues‘ may not be a whole new sound, but it is an exciting evolution.
Debut LP ‘The New Sound’ is out on 4th October via Rough Trade Records.
Listen to ‘Blues’ here: