Some albums are so easy and blatantly obvious to pinpoint into a genre, and some will combine a mixture of a few genres, that can still generally be pretty easily identified. Then there are releases like Jack Colwell’s Only When Flooded Could I Let Go, that doesn’t seem to fit into any sort of genre I’ve ever heard before, and it’s brilliant.
Get your first dose Jack Colwell’s debut EP Only When Flooded Could I Let Go. Manic, dramatic and heart-wrenching, once Colwell opens the floodgates there’s no going back.
The five track EP is a combination of orchestral sounds, obscure folky sounds, melodramatic rock influences and a whole lot of dark and eerie vibes that all come together to produce a weirdly beautiful album. Each song is so different that the EP can easily be listened to three or four times in a row, and with each listen, you will pick up new aspects of each song.
On Only When Flooded Could I Let Go, Colwell explained “It is a break-up EP on the surface, but the songs really speak about broader issues from my personal life”. The EP can be seen as a narrative through the five tracks, that revolve around a failed relationship Colwell was in, and producing this album has been an outlet for a manic energy he had been harbouring.
Don’t Cry Those Tears was the first single to be released off the album, and introduces us to Colwell’s unique and distinct sound. Intertwined with dark and upbeat elements, the song throws out an infectious energy, and gives a great first impression of the EP as a whole.
C.O.A.T is the opening track for the EP, which was influenced by relationships Colwell had with men where he had been pushed aside and left stranded. It starts off sounding like it will be a slow piano focused ballad, but after about a minute and a half, these insane orchestral sounds kick in and completely turn the vibe of the song around.
Far From View is another slow burner, with a similar sounds to C.O.A.T, while On With The Show is a fucking cool little folky jig, which Colwell said is a “Jaunty outing about struggling with severe anxiety, drinking and being unable to perform my daily routines due to this intoxicating fog that I couldn’t escape”.
Quintilis is the last track on the EP, which is the perfect closer with a mix of the slow and fast, manic sounds that have made their way through the rest of the album. Cowell has created a sound that is different to any other music that is floating around at the moment, and he has hit the nail on the head, and produced a totally stunninng and unique EP with Only When Flooded Could I Let Go.
Jack Colwell’s Only Flooded Could I Let It Go is out this Friday 28, and you can pre-order the EP here.
