high jump – Avenue
In October last year, I had featured the British synth-pop duo high jump with their debut single “M2K” but what happened since? Harry Martin and Rick Holland have been releasing two more songs, the groovy “Tide Away” and the lush “CLIIAL,” and are now adding “Avenue” to their mix of sophisticated pop singles. The newest song is mesmerizing in its flow and build and just keeps on getting better! The focus on that particular form of a street resonates strongly with me, as I am moving from an avenue to a street, but I hope (I’m pretty certain) *not* to miss the avenue! It’s understandable, though, to get nostalgic at times, especially when these memories result in such a gorgeous song. Asked about their newest single, Rick offers:
“Harry wrote the anthemic jangly guitar riff at the front of Avenue a few years ago, initially laying it over a yacht-rock groove. After a few different iterations, we pared back the original Roxy Music / The War On Drugs influence, leaving just the ubiquitous riff and a pulsating Wurlitzer Sideman backbeat to rebuild the song on. With contemporary reference points like Westerman, Yumi Zouma and Washed Out in mind, we developed Avenue into a summery Dream Pop roller that circles relentlessly towards the Prince-inspired guitar solo at the apex of the song. Lyrically, the song continues along the themes that we’ve dug into on Tide Away, but the chorus reflects that nostalgia in simpler terms. The nostalgic direction is more literal this time; a childhood memory that crystallises from the abstract introspections in the verses.”
Listen to “Avenue,” our Song Pick of the Day:
Connect with high jump and add “Avenue” to your playlist as we add it to our #glamglarepick playlist on Spotify and YouTube:
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