The soft-rock, balled-folk, Orchestral-pop alleyways have been a desolate setting these past two years as we await a new declaration from Brighton's balladeer Kipp Boucher. The wait is now over.
Two years on from the songwriters last release, the 2020 self-released EP 'Man on The Scene', Kipp Boucher announces the signing to rising indie Hideous Mink Records with a new single and EP on the way.
Joy of Life - the title track from Boucher's upcoming E.P, with similar Father John Misty and Randy Newman nods we heard from Man on The Scene, it's clear that, during his self-referred 2 year extensive solitary writing period, Kipp found a new depth to his songwriting and arrangement.
I found all these other ways to describe the strange sort of comfort and familiarity that one can find inside a, shall we say, noisy brain
Let's not be mistaking, this song is nothing short of and not shying away from being an orchestral-pop epic-balled. Joy of Life breaks the 5 minute mark and deserves nothing less. After a 35 second gritty synth intro, we hear, what we can only hope is Kipp, sitting in a full suit, behind a dusty grand piano. An effortless vocal delivery from Kipp sits on top of this track, however, it's as it embarks on the chorus that we really hear the depth to Joy of Life. A string arrangement from multi-instrumentalist Milo Mckinnon brings this track to life.
As well as Mckinnon, Kipp returns to work at Farm Road studios, once again, with distinguished and aforementioned studio owner Jake Smallwood. What is instantly clear from Joy of Life is the extensive time and thought placed into every sound, note and texture from both Boucher and Smallwood alike.
Speaking on Joy of Life, Kipp reflects “Joy of Life was the song that first gave me a sense of what the overarching meaning of this coming EP was, so it felt natural to make it the title track. It took quite a long time to come together; I had this line ‘I’m the sheriff of Chickentown’ kicking around for a while, and when I really started thinking about what that meant, I found all these other ways to describe the strange sort of comfort and familiarity that one can find inside a, shall we say, noisy brain - and also some genuine sanctuary of embracing the madness and taking things less seriously. I wanted it to sound like a Nilsson ballad, which lent itself to these stacked vocals and TV orchestra strings. The music and lyrics kind of take flight together; up into this cloud cuckoo land and back down again and I feel this oscillation is all over this EP.”
Supported by his band The CurrentFantasy, Boucher’s arresting brand of piano-led soft rock is a cognisant nod to supposedly simpler times. It returns to the Sebright Arms, London (30th) and Folklore Rooms, Brighton (26th) of July.
Listen to Joy of Life here
Catch Kipp Boucher live:
26 July - Folklore Rooms, Brighton
30th July - Sebright Arms, London
Tickets here.
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