Written by Isaac Whittemore
“Black Midi was an interesting band that’s now indefinitely over.” This statement and others made on an August 10th Instagram Live were a delayed hiatus announcement, as confirmed by frontman Geordie Greep in an interview with NME. Though fans were anguished over the seemingly abrupt break-up news, some of this suffering was relieved ten days later. On August 20th, Greep announced his solo debut album, The New Sound, to be released October 4th. I presume that more of said suffering was relieved for fans once they could listen to the album because it’s outstanding.
The quiet and furrowed, yet palpably intense, opening track to the album “Blues” immediately draws you in sonically with its breakneck pace. However, the controlled intensity soon begins to unravel and explode, mirroring the psyche of the nameless, troubled protagonist of the song and most of the album. The song mirrors most of the album in many respects, as it deftly balances, often continuously during songs, between the technical, rhythmic punch of the opening and the manic explosion of sound and lyrics that closes the song. Greep’s over-the-top, theatrical, weird delivery quickly finds its place perfectly in each song. The musicianship on the album is as effortless as Greep and his croon, delivering bombastic energy as seemingly light as a feather or heavy as an anvil, shifting between the two second to second.
Greep writes most songs around a selfish loner, searching for love in women-for-hire and maladaptive daydreams. The fallacies, shortcomings, delusions, and paradoxes of this man’s existence come to a head on the standout track of the album, “The Magician”. This song, which originated while Black Midi was still together, details the possibly partially autobiographical end of a relationship and the protagonist’s feelings afterward. This soft song earns every second of its twelve-minute runtime, featuring some of the best writing Greep offers on the album as the protagonist continues his descent into depravity and detachment. The depth and clarity of the emotions and feelings Greep entails in the song and album leave you feeling just a bit of pity for the man just before he ultimately relents to his delusions on the final track. A cover of “If You Are But a Dream,” made famous by Frank Sinatra, closes the tracklist, and the song is given a markedly different meaning within the context of this album. The constant barrage of lyrical storytelling and imagery, mixed with the high voltage yet refined instrumentation, carries you through the hour and two-minute album easily, never dragging or meandering for a beat, leaving you wanting more.
The only slight knock on the album is that the title, The New Sound, is only half true. While Greep does deftly incorporate lots of new Latin sounds into the album, he also treads a lot of ground Black Midi fans may be familiar with. This is no wish for a different sound, though. Greep has found an outstanding niche in this vein of music. If he keeps writing, recording, and releasing music like this, I hope he keeps exploring it as long as he likes.
