Society readying release of new single ’14 Hours’ (UK)
2 min read
Society are readying the release of their highly-anticipated second single 14 Hours, and with it are dropping some of the veil of enigma that’s cloaked the project up until now. Shooting to infamy late last year on the back of the remarkable runaway success of debut All That We’ve Become, they achieved major plaudits across stations like Radio 1 and 6Music. The organic buzz around the song – a timeless piece of aching, string-laded soul set against re-booted, futurist beats- and its mysterious animated video was undeniable, but up until now nobody’s known anything about who or what Society is.
With 14 Hours, they’re ready to let down their guard, a little. The man behind the classic croon, 24-year-old London-based singer and song smith, James Girdler, is stepping into the spot-light, captured in signature cinematic style in the band’s first press shots. “This project has been a total labour of love for almost two years now,” says the frontman, “After countless nights making drones with amazing bits of old gear we’re very excited to be letting this project step out of the shadows.”
The song itself feels the perfect next step for Society, with the familiar groove-driven beats and cut-up back-drop, this time swaggering in triumphant hip hop fashion, set-against bittersweet gospel cries, and Jamie’s unmistakable voice guiding us through vivid tales of regret, release and redemption. Society’s off-kilter, suspense-filled sound has garnered a tellingly diverse list of press comparisons, from the brooding likes of Portishead, Scott Walker and The Verve, to mavericks like David Axelrod. Though these may to an extent ring true, the unique tapestry comprising their future/classic soul unites reference points as disparate as the dusty crate-digging psych of Strawberry Alarm Clock, the lonesome balladry of Lee Hazelwood and the beat-peddling of J.Dilla.
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