One can only assume that Jordan Merrick is never rendered speechless. A singer-songwriter who has just released his debut single Untitled #1, Merrick has already proved to be a poetic lyrical genius.
Whereas most may struggle to write in a friend’s birthday card, Merrick must run out of room on the page. Where some would blunder and blurt, Merrick must surely strive. The prose of his track is unpretentious impeccability.
Jordan Merrick’s debut single Untitled #1 is a unanimously relatable song, thoughtfully named in order to relay the internal struggles of the everyday man.
When asked why he chose the nondescript title, Merrick stated humourlessly “aside from preceding ‘Untitled #2’?” then continued “because this song could be any one of the 7+ billion people in this world”.
The song carefully encapsulates the inherent emotions of humankind to settle, while willing for more. He verbalises our ability to ignore our surroundings and encourages us to instead explore with heed.
The song is contemporary folk, defined by it’s focus on acoustic instrumentation and evocative, thoughtful lyrics. Merrick’s choice to rely solely on his acoustic guitar rather than employ accompaniment gives the track a soul bearing authenticity.
This choice was due to Merrick’s inspiration from Bob Dylan’s album Blood on the Tracks, an acoustically truthful, confessional record linked to tensions within Dylan’s personal life. Merrick similarly retains honesty through timely breaks for poignant messages and an ambiguity that will tap into everyone’s vulnerabilities.
Merrick has revived the Australian bush ballad. More raw in energy and less colloquial than those before him, Merrick portrays Australian life without the slang and jesting, choosing instead to focus on the land’s beauty and the inner conflict of the people. He reintroduces the genre with fewer gimmicks and more grunt, accomplished with a slower melodic pace and a more melancholy tenor.
The beauty of his writing lies within his ability to produce a seemingly simple rhyme scheme of unassuming nature, while cleverly embedding abundant allusions. He refers to Australia when he speaks of ‘a digger of gold’, and of uphill struggle when he iterates ‘he’s a butcher of the land’.
Merrick’s reference to ‘Cortez the Killer’ builds on the character, while also signifying homage to Neil Young’s song of the same title.
Writing plays a large part in Merrick’s life. He is often found writing short stories on his typewriter, taking inspiration from novelists such as Hemingway, Poe and Japanese sensation Haruki Murakami.
Merrick says that for him “writing has felt like therapy for the soul; taking pieces of emotion, memories and ideas and sticking them together”. An admitted people-watcher, Merrick has an interest in understanding humankind and conveying their trials through writing and music.
Prior to today’s single release, Merrick has released an LP Novella with his band Fugitive and The Vagabond. The track The Wild earned Merrick two nominations at the Gold Coast Music Awards earlier this year, for Song of the Year and Emerging Artist of the Year.
Merrick will be playing an intimate launch show at The Junk Bar in Brisbane on March 12. Details here.
