Critically acclaimed indie-pop artist Jack Dora returns with his highly anticipated debut EP ‘Take What You’ve Been Given’. With the title track having been featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday UK playlist, across English and Irish national radio and Jack being listed on Hotpress magazines Hot for 2022 list, the London-based Irish native has been called “one of the most compelling new forces in Irish music” (Hot Press Magazine).
The 7 track EP moves through all-out 80’s synth-pop, post-punk and classic rock with energy, thoughtfulness and heart, focusing on a journey of self-discovery through the lenses of multiple characters and relationships. The instant classic ‘Johnny & Suzie’ rewires classic rock tropes, taking Dora’s signature 80’s new wave textures into a classic rock realm with a hint of psychedelia. It blends a pounding drumbeat, a hypnotic bass groove and slick atmospheric guitar hooks with catchy yet poignant songwriting focussing on the death of the toxic masculine ideal.
In Jack’s own words “It’s the focal point of the EP both in a sonic and narrative sense. It’s about the inner struggle you have your whole life trying to escape from the toxic masculine small town mentality you grew up with. It’s about trying to purge the male ego. So I used this story of Johnny and Suzie as a metaphor for that struggle. I thought it would be a good way of exploring the dualities of femininity and masculinity in the frame of an Americana, Springsteen-esque narrative. With the final track, it’s supposed to feel like you’re Suzie and she’s driving with the top down and the sun is rising and she’s beaten something.”
The EP was written, recorded and produced by Jack in his bedroom in Dublin throughout the pandemic. It was mixed by Irish musician Yenkee (Softboy Records) and Jack Roulston and was mastered by Fergal Davis (Muse, Republic of Loose, Sinead O’ Connor). Jack recently played a string of live full band shows in London at The Victoria and The Finsbury and is quickly gaining traction on the London scene. He is planning more London gigs and also a Dublin gig in the near future. Keep an eye on his socials for more details.
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Photo: Nicholas O’Donnell
