The theatrical actor/musician wunderkind recently released a new single, Something In My Eye. The track’s bouncy, staccato rhythm guitar is immediately Shadows-esque, while the lead guitar is doubly reminiscent of the Shadows’ Hank Marvin. This lead guitar line alone, with it’s simple but moving plaintiveness across the track’s seam, guarantees at least another dozen or so listens. An elegant but robust organic nature adorns the instrumentation and production, particularly with the vivacious dum-dum of the bass.
Berry describes it as being an illustration of an inner outcry rarely heard “from a male perspective”. Something In My Eye is “about putting a brave face on. telling everyone you’re fine, when in reality you’re really not at all.
The track will be the opener of Berry’s next album, Phantom Birds, which will undoubtably be as kaleidoscopic and genre-defying as previous albums such as Kill the Wolf, or as critically beloved as 2018’s Television Themes. The record will feature Berry himself crafting the majority of the instrumentation, aside from legendary pedal-steel guitarist BJ Cole and drummer Craig Brundell. Phantom Birds sees Berry envision a similar template to Bob Dylan’s trio of Nashville albums, in it’s sparse use of musicians and overall simplicity, allowing the sheer beauty and intent of the music not to be masked.
Listen to Something In My Eye below. Phantom Birds is released on Acid Jazz Records September 18th, pre-order here.
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