Track of the Day: Garrett Laurie - 'Mississippi Jesus'

Belfast alt-pop artist Garrett Laurie has unveiled their first single of 2022 in the form of 'Mississippi Jesus'.

A fluid tangle of 90s influenced R&B, alternative pop and lo-fi acoustics, the aptly titled single takes stock of the emotive peaks and valleys of combating guilt, queerness and identity. With the overt religious iconography contained throughout the lyricism of the track, Laurie examines the ties between their sense of self and shame, ultimately overcoming them by the end of the track.

Saturated in dark production, tightly wound acoustics and creative, wavey electronica; Laurie steps into an uncompromising spotlight with his most raw track yet.

"Mississippi Jesus’ is about being queer and feeling guilty about everything," Garett Laurie explains. "Recorded in Start Together Studios and co-produced with Ryan McGroarty of Beauty Sleep, the song explores queer sexuality and feelings of guilt surrounding it through cinematic instrumentation and 90s style beats."

Garrett shared their bedroom recorded debut EP Crying On Cue in the summer of 2020. Wanting to take a more cinematic approach to their music soon after its release, they removed the project from streaming services and released ‘Barbies With Betty Finn’ - full to the brim with diaristic, powerful lyricism.

Their single, 'In A Way, It's Okay' was released in July 2021 and made NI Music Prize's Eligible List for Best Song and was praised by music tastemakers.

Last November, Laurie released 'Take Me Out Dancing’ from their forthcoming EP, premiered on our website. At the time, Hot Press praised the single’s introspective lyrical approach against ‘the infectious intonations of [its] melodies’.

Their new single is radio-ready, with thudding pop hooks paving the way for Garrett's inevitable success.

Check out the new video for 'Mississippi Jesus' below.