Single release: Out now
Label: The Time It Gets Dark
More info: Dave Jakes’ Facebook page
Took the street in from the back of your car
In the morning it looks like we are
Gonna make it
If I keep to your arm
And the clawing rakes of your palm
Dave Jakes, former lead singer with Lonely The Brave, is today sharing a brand-new single, “Caterwaul”, from his upcoming debut solo mini-album. “Caterwaul” arrives in stark contrast to last month’s debut single “Been In My Dream”. Where “Been In My Dream” was a song that introduced Jakes a solo artist of considerable thoughtfulness and nous – bolstered by the swelling synths and fluttering piano contributions of Jamie Cameron, and the sweeping viola of Rachel Lanskey (The Last Dinosaur) – “Caterwaul” re-affirms his presence as one of the most powerful and emotive rock voices of recent years.
It’s a single which, like so much of Jakes’ writing, has a transportive power and the ability to put the listener right there, in the time and place of the song. Through subtle observation he picks over the remains of doomed relationships and considers the torture that dwelling on memories can bring.
Stream “Caterwaul” on streaming services HERE
Hear “Caterwaul” on YouTube belowhttps://www.youtube.com/embed/fbZE0wHuVI0?wmode=opaque&enablejsapi=1
As many will already know, Jakes’ power as a songwriter comes from focusing on the minutiae – every song travelling its own path into its own world. The seven songs on his debut, all written or co-written by Jakes himself, form seven narrow corridors through which glimmers of light appear fleetingly at the end. These are songs for the small hours, late night drives, quiet contemplation, and conversation in the twilight.
His self-titled debut mini-album will arrive on December 11th via By The Time It Gets Dark. Pre-order the EP on vinyl / CD / download HERE.
Dave Jakes EP artwork – Download image HERE
Dave Jakes – S/T tracklisting
1. Been In My Dream
2. Silhouettes
3. Caterwaul
4. Lean The Light
5. Diggy’s Pushing Holes Out
6. Echelon
7. Be The Apple
More about Dave Jakes
Dave Jakes’ iconic vocal steered his former band Lonely The Brave through two #1 Rock Chart albums, two UK Top 40 albums and supports to the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Biffy Clyro and Neil Young before his amicable departure in 2018.
Speaking about the record, Jakes offers: “I began recording the EP a couple of years back with Matty Moon – who I knew from his work with Lonely The Brave. I think initially we were looking at a simpler, acoustic sounding record but as we went on we found the more we layered on to it, the better and better it was sounding.
I’d always wanted to write some music with a female vocalist involved so having Melissa Baker and Grace Kuhl on the record was really rewarding. I was also very lucky to have Jamie and Rachel from The Last Dinosaur featuring, as well.
For the last few years now I’ve been living in a mobile home in the Cambridge fens, which is where I recorded a lot of the vocals. I recorded those for half of the songs around a year and a half before I recorded the vocals for the second half. It’s quite interesting to hear how different my singing voice sounds in the first recordings when I was smoking a lot! The rough throat works quite well with the earlier songs but I’m glad my smoking days are now gone.
The EP features songs about doomed relationships (Caterwaul), workplace bullying (Echelon), family breakdowns (Be The Apple) and one of my favourite subjects to sing about – dinosaurs (Diggy’s Pushing Holes Out).”
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