Jack in the High Life Again

One of the surprise packets of the year has been Everything Is New, the second album from English artist Jack Peñate. The singer’s 2007 debut, Matinee, was a pretty underwhelming collection of generic indie tracks, and was given a lukewarm critical reception. However, Penate’s latest is one of the best records of the year.

Filled with memorable melodies, Everything Is New also contains some irresistible grooves, with Jack taking rhythmic inspiration from top-drawer influences such as Can, Os Mutantes and Fela Kuti. The singer acknowledges that the album represents a significant creative departure for him.
“I just wanted to be daring,” asserts Jack. “I had all these ideas about what this record should be. My aim was to do something really rhythmic, and driven by drums and bass instead of guitar. The rhythms had to be interesting, not standard indie or anything like that. I really hate the term ‘world music’, cos it’s just ridiculous, but I’ve always been a fan of stuff from Brazil, deep South American music and Krautrock.
“After the first record, I didn’t think I’d sold the influences enough. That was something I felt kind of frustrated about. So when I had the chance again, I thought, ‘Well, this time I’m not going to fucking hide these influences.’ They’d always been part of my life, and I suppose I needed the confidence to put these references in the forefront of the music, instead of hiding them in the background. I aspired to make all of the songs feel like they were from a different place, and to give them a timeless quality.”
Interestingly, like all of the best music to have emerged from the UK over the past few years – from Fujiya and Miyagi and Klaxons to Friendly Fires and Golden Silvers – Everything Is New eschews indie norms in favour of rhythmic sophistication.
“The thing that ties us all together is that we’re not trying to replicate Oasis or Blur,” reckons Jack. “We’d all be lying if we said there aren’t a lot of bands around clinging to that vibe, but I definitely don’t, and I don’t think people like Klaxons and Friendly Fires do either. First of all, I’m not a band, so I don’t want to do stadium rock or anything. It’s more that we’re just all interested in music that isn’t part of our culture.
“It gives the music a universality, which is really important, cos it’s fucking hard nowadays to find music that truly excites you.”
Notably, Everything Is New was produced by Paul Epworth, the groove technician noted for his work with the likes of Bloc Party and The Rapture.
“He brought a huge amount to the album,” enthuses Jack. “He had confidence, and he was someone I could talk to. A lot of it was quite like a counselling session! It was kind of cathartic, the whole process. But obviously I benefitted from his complete skill and genius in the studio, and he was a great support for me. I had this album in my head, but I didn’t quite know how to get it out.
“Paul was there to almost pry it out of me. He kept pushing me to write lyrics for hours on end – he did a lot for me. He was my confidante in the whole thing.”
Though the music on Everything Is New is largely upbeat and danceable, the gritty lyrics offset the positive mood. The combination results in a feeling Jack describes as “joyous melancholy”, which is a quality a lot of the best pop music has, whether it be Kate Bush’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ or Prince’s ‘Diamonds And Pearls’.
“I wanted it to have a lyrical depth,” comments Jack. “The songs are joyous, but the lyrics are balancing that, whether they’re about death, or a girl who has social problems, or me feeling that I’m a coward. It couldn’t be too sugary, cos I don’t think it’s real. ‘Bittersweet’ is a phrase that’s there because it’s completely what I feel life is.”