Myles Knight releases his second single of 2020 on 4 July
Myles Knight is a Nottingham born and bred Singer/Songwriter, described as a 'Quick Witted' and a 'Stellar' Songwriter with a 'Distinctive Tone'. Myles, accompanied by his band, provide a fusion of Indie Rock vibes with Blues undertones. His debut single Black and Blue was released in March 2019, and was followed later in the year by A Drop of the Hat and Christmas Tea, and earlier this year he released the excellent Hey Ma.
A prolific live performer on the Nottingham music scene, his acoustic sets project feeling with personal lyrics accompanied by catchy melodies, that hit the hearts of many. But when joined by his band the show’s switch to a much more energetic performance with hard hitting vocals and a powerful wall of sound that make’s you question if this is the same man from Nottingham you saw playing love songs an hour ago? Popular on the circuit, Myles is an artist well worth getting to see once we’re through this current situation.
So, to his latest release, due out on Friday 4 July 2020 on all major streaming services Reggae! Reggae? Funtime. The song is far more serious than the title suggests. The early part of the track has a definite reggae style to it with that classic guitar strum, with simple yet beautiful vocals over the top. It really gets you tapping along and enjoying the bright feel of the song. The song is a glorious mix of styles, as the chorus hits, it slows and mellows, swaying with an almost psychedelic elements to it, before returning to the reggae style for the next verse. It has a wonderful mix of sounds and styles which gives it a fresh style.
Different is always good.
The song talks of awkward situations and somehow getting through them such as being in an unfamiliar town where people shy away when approached, of drunken nights alone, of meeting a girl and realising she’s off her trolley, to being asked to perform at a gig for hundreds and only three turn up !
Myles’ lyrics are clever and well crafted and I love his beautiful use of language to craft scenes in such a fun and delightfully descriptive way with lyrics like “I say, dance with me wont you please, I’m not lightning on my feet. Want to recreate that dance from the Pulp Fiction scene - life could be a movie”.
The track shifts gear again around 3 minutes 30, suddenly changing direction again, this time suddenly rising in volume, almost like an anthem, reaching a crescendo as Myles questions where we go now, and says “I know you always shoot for the stars, I’m hoping you’re happy wherever you are, cause I’m just a mess and you were never impressed, but I would do it all again”, before the track fades away as he declares he would “do it all again if you needed a friend”.
As I said different is good, it makes you stand out. It’s hard to mix styles and formats and pull it off successfully. Myles and his band manage to do just that not just well, but really well. The music technical skills are there, the shifts in tempo are delivered well and despite the competing elements of the song nothing is overpowering, or distracts from the overall balance. The vocals are excellent throughout, from soft reggae tones, to energetic rock, stopping off at funny, intelligent, and mellow.
A great track, and I loved it. Worth a 9.0 from LiveWire, and well worth some listening time. One that will work well live too, and we look forward to seeing Myles perform it live soon.
