If Desperate Journalist were previously referred to as noir indie pop, we might need to find another French term for darker still. More tenebrous than black.
Of course that would be ignoring the lithe and pithy humour and only concentrating on the bleaker elements. The beautifully morose and desolate. It’s stunning monochrome, black and white, grey ocean, gloomy skies and sombre landscapes. But it’s unbelievably evocative and affecting, more so than ever.
Here is album number five from Desperate Journalist. Arriving in 2024, it’s not going to be a B-52’s bubblegum pop record. But you’re not here for that anyway.
You can feel the touch of The Cure on this record, the influence showing through, looming larger than on any other of their four LPs. ‘Adah’ glides in on a Robert Smith hook, sliding from a tree, in A Forest, and shimmering on an early morning still lake. But what stands out is the choral synth, covering everything in a satin sheet, a luxurious bath of sparkle and then the roar of euphoric Les Paul, crackling on the surface. Jo a song bird surveying it all from dark branches hanging over the slowly bubbling water.
‘No Hero’ shuffles and carries itself like a train up a mountain, ever so slowly gaining momentum, Caz’s metronomic patterns on the snare. Again, bright synth bursts as the chorus begins, it is pushing this album on, the second track tempo and tone boost.
‘Afraid’ is led by the bass dancing, creating the whole rhythm, the centre piece that everything else plays with. Dappling synth is broken up by aggressive, rapid fire guitar solo, as if it is trying to interrupt and disrupt but the joyous, euphoric chorus wins.
‘Comfort’ does the opposite, it is anxious and dark. Not an obvious guitar in sight for the majority, until it appears to bridge the chorus and second verse, it calls out like an animal, screaming out in an almost Pet Shop Boys classic 80’s synth wall. Jo sounds like Alison Moyet in Yazoo, somewhere there Vince Clarke lurks.
‘Silent’ continues the foreboding, ominous atmosphere. The end disintegrates into a static, industrial cacophony, Jo’s vocal glitching as it collapses.
The glitchy, anxious and twitching ‘Underwater’, scattering, sputtering synthetic drums like gun fire. Perhaps the largest step away from what we expect from them and similar to Jo’s solo material. It acts like an interlude but also creates even further intrigue for what might come next.
And naturally it is this.
‘7’ has been described by those around the band as archetypal Desperate Journalist, and there’s definitely some truth in that. The style is reminiscent of In Search Of The Miraculous era. But with synths. It’s a dead cert live favourite and sounds like a nailed on single. The sort that should be dominating BBC radio playlists and at every indie club night this side of the apocalypse. It was never going to be Aphex Twin.
First single ‘Unsympathetic Parts 1&2’ introduced this version of Desperate Journalist, and already feels like an old favourite. Simon and Caz running the show, Rob sprinkling with his golden touch, Jo being the best vocalist of her generation.
Latest single ‘You Say You’re Lonely’ seems so brutally honest and heart on sleeve that it might be devoid of the usual dry humour that can punctuate a lot of Jo’s lyrics. Only piano from Rob but live recently he played it on clean guitar and it became even more gut wrenchingly beautiful.
If there was ever a worry about how they might improve on Maximum Sorrow the mere existence of album closure ‘Consolation Prize’ banishes any doubt that they are the most consistently brilliant band of the past, well, it’s a struggle to name a band who have produced five virtually flawless albums, where they evolve just enough to make it a little different and interesting, for them as much as anyone else. Caz does her best drum fill since ‘Be Kind’, with the double cymbal crash in the second part of the chorus. Get your air drums out. Also see one of their best middle eights, up there with ‘Resolution’. The wall of sound makes it feel like ‘Heartbeats’ from the eponymous debut LP, but with synths that sound like a choir.
After every record, it’s “what will they do next”. After this, your guess is as good as mine.
