Describing himself on X as an “indie sad boy making singalong anthems…” Manchester’s Simon James brings us his latest single “Cigarettes on the Dancefloor”.
At three minutes 49 seconds, a decent length for a single, and instantly I was hooked by a powerful indie-rock guitar that really opened it up, it’s short-lived, as it dips a bit mood wise in order for the vocals to enter.
Whilst it maybe quietish at first, it does slowly liven up tempo-wise, Simon really uses the guitar-riffs to his advantage, as this really stands out and elevates the track to a new level.
The lyrics are quite easy to pick up, the use of the dipping everything a bit works, and listening you absorb a lot of the lyrics, meaning and general track, with the lyrics appearing to talk about regret, the events of the night before and general feelings of a how they feel about themselves and their surroundings.
Throughout the song, it gets more and more anthemic, which I cannot fault at all – it is mixed up at the right time and goes to new heights throughout with the backing track, it really does keep you guessing and I genuinely enjoyed it.
The main thing I wasn’t keen on, is the vocals were sometimes a little drowned out by the backing track, Simon has incredible talent and it is a shame to see it get pushed aside a bit.
That said, I imagine it would be a much different experience seeing it performed live or as part of an EP or album (watch this space I guess!)
The artwork for me is a little bit simple, I would have liked to see an image of an empty dancefloor and some other elements to it, although I do appreciate that not everyone can or has someone who can whip up a single cover, which is fair enough, it does what it says on the tin.
Overall, a fantastic track that builds the foundations for more, I feel like Simon can push his creativity further, as he’s clearly musically and vocally talented, so I’ll be interested to see what follows.
FIND SIMON JAMES ON INSTAGRAM // X // ONLINE
FIND MORE TOP BANDS AND ARTISTS COMING OUT OF MANCHESTER HERE