Self described as a “working-class indie” mix of The Clash, Leonard Cohen and Pink Floyd, Swedish quintet St. Jimi Sebastian Cricket Club have released their latest single Aina through Beluga Records.
Fresh off their second UK tour, the group deliver a simultaneously punchy and melancholic track, with a deliciously messy texture and catchy chorus. Pithy lyrics and battling guitar lines included, it’s a nostalgic and honest outing, telling the story of a grandmother “growing up fast and hard, a long time ago in a place almost forgotten – until now,”.
Regarding their compositional style, frontman Jimi Sebastian states “the lyrics have a social-realist narrative and might not always be completely obvious, but the music is pretty much straightforward,”. Mixed and recorded at Manchester’s Vibe Studios (mastering courtesy of Pete Maher), it encapsulates a dense and powerful texture; candidly pushing through a rough sound, which is somehow delightfully honest and complex at the same time.
At 3:45, it swiftly avoids the all-too-familiar trap bands of this ilk so often fall into, in which the track is slightly too long, resulting in a waning energy two-thirds of the way into the song. It’s well produced, but manages to retain a charming lo-fi sound – any excessive compression here would take away some of the appeal.
the lyrics have a social-realist narrative and might not always be completely obvious, but the music is pretty much straightforward
The lyrics are intriguingly structured, portraying an image of times gone by through seemingly rose-tinted glasses. It’s very easy for artists of this nature to present themselves in a rather pretentious light when delivering such a sound – fortunately, this is absolutely not the case with St. Jimi Sebastian. Their sound is raw and imperfect, but that’s an essential part of their charisma.
The B-side to this single Seven Sisters ties in perfectly; they complement each other to a T, with bittersweet undertones and the kind of terse chorus it would appear we should expect from the quintet. It’s a slight departure from the grittier I Still Get The Calls – the group’s previous, slightly more upbeat single, which was released back in October. It seems to stand as something of a carefree ode to youth; a snappy and witty number with a chorus that will be buzzing in your ear holes for the next week or so.
We implore you to take a listen – they’re a seemingly perfect antidote to the cookie-cutter tracks gracing the airwaves at the moment. Keep your eyes on this band – we’re not entirely sure what to expect, but we’re curious to see what they’ll come up with next.
