We woke up to a new Gotts Street Park album today, and that was pretty much the listening sorted.
The singles had already had us hooked, as they tend to do. Then Olive Jones opened Somewhere Between so beautifully that we had to play “Wake Me Up” again before moving on. An incredibly professional approach to reviewing an album, we know. But what can we do? When it’s good, it’s good.
We’ve been following Gotts Street Park since their early days. We were there for their first Berlin show, when Olive Jones opened for them and later returned to sing with the band. We started with the trio and kept going with their collaborators, following Jones, Rosie Lowe and the incredible Pip Millett, whose recent Berlin set we had the pleasure of photographing.
Over the years, listening to this lot has become a bit of a family affair. Someone brings someone else along, you fall for their voice, and suddenly there’s another artist taking up a perfectly reasonable amount of your life.
Somewhere Between has us feeling very happy about the company we keep.
“Wake Me Up” is an immediate favorite. There’s such an ease to the way Olive sings with them, and hearing her welcome us into the album feels particularly lovely after all those years. We eventually did make it past the opener, which meant finding Pip Millett waiting on “Flowers.” So, yes, progress was slow.
That tenderness we loved at her live show is all there. Millett has a way of making a song feel close enough to be meant for you, and Gotts Street Park give her exactly the space for it. The same understanding runs through “Easy” with Celeste and Rosie Lowe on “Below the Water.” Three very different voices and collaborations that feel incredibly comfortable, each with the singer’s personality shining through.
These people know each other, and you can hear it.
Then there are the people we’re getting to know through this record: Matt Maltese, Sofia and the Antoinettes, and anaiis. New to our ears, at least, which means we now have some very enjoyable homework. This is how it happened with the others, too. You come for Gotts Street Park, someone starts singing, and suddenly you need to know what else they’ve made. What a lovely way to find new music. Having a band you trust bring someone into the room and letting you hear for yourself.
You can also hear how much of that comes from Josh Crocker, Tom Henry and Joe Harris. The trio create such strong foundations that everyone has somewhere to shine. It reminds us of what Menahan Street Band did with the late, great Charles Bradley. There’s a lot of talent in knowing what a song needs from you. There’s just as much in knowing when you’ve already given it.
And we could happily spend all day talking about these voices, but then we’d be doing a considerable disservice to the instrumentals. “Nico’s Theme” has a guitar sliding its way through the track, a bass that brings on an instant stank face, and shuffled drums taking us straight to the good stuff. Then this almost theremin-sounding keyboard comes along to lead the melody, and frankly, what more do you want? Everyone’s got something to say here.
“Slippy” is another of our favorites. We could live in the reverb of that snare and never leave. Forward our post. It’s incredibly well produced, with a groove you can sit in and reflect for a while, although our own reflection did briefly turn into imagining Loyle Carner dropping some heartfelt bars over it. That would be quite something. We’d also be perfectly happy with another few minutes of precisely what’s already happening.
“Lay Low” deserves an honorable mention too. These instrumentals are such an essential part of the band’s character, and hearing them alongside the collaborations makes you appreciate the trio even more. You get to spend time with the people building all these lovely places for everyone else to sing in. Turns out they’re excellent company on their own.
By the time “Going Home” arrives, we’re left with the same feeling we had listening to On the Inside: what a lovely family all these musicians are. It’s incredible to hear them grow, share and keep finding room for each other. The collaborations are strong, the foundations couldn’t be better, and we’re already reaching for “Wake Me Up” again.
Listen to this album. There’s a whole world of artists in here you’ll want to get to know, and a very good chance you won’t feel like leaving.
Listen where you listen:
