Friday 12 August 2016

Single: August Wells - This Man Cries

August Wells This Man Cries
Photo: Sarah Iannone


August Wells - This Man Cries


- Review by Noël Duplaa

Info: The brainchild of former Rollerskate Skinny frontman, Ken Griffin, August Wells follow up their single 'She Was a Question', with the wry and haunting 'This Man Cries'. Another taste from their forthcoming sophomore album, Madness is the Mercy, which is released September 9th on FIFA Records, it goes a long way towards sketching out and expanding on their specific aesthetic.

As both a frontman and a lyricist, Ken Griffin fits snugly into the role of the world weary, beaten down lonely lover: someone who doesn’t "mind waking up on the kitchen floor [because]… that’s what a kitchen floor is for." He details a man delicately balanced on the ledge, with only his gallows humour holding him back. The music lovingly dances on this fine line, opening with an ambling western guitar that is soon spaghettied with mournful mariachi horns. But, as with "She Was a Question", the minimalism both in composition and orchestration, push the gnarled, oaky baritone to the centre of stage, where it effortlessly breathes life and empathy into every turn of phrase, creating something dark, weird and beautiful.


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