Simply joyous. Once again, The Great North Special deliver music to be utterly absorbed in with their latest single, ‘Toketee Breakdown’. It’s music from out of time, featuring fine instrumentation and showcasing their excellent songcraft. The band deliver almost seven minutes of upbeat, uplifting music; the sound is busy and bustling and bursting with an epic dreaminess. Throughout, there are musical interludes when different instruments come to the fore, such as Albert Margolis’s tumbling keys.
Interspersed with images of the band and the great outdoors, the video, directed by Matt Costa, features psychedelic animations by renowned artist Rob Fidel that reinforce the charming feel of the song. It’s a good-humoured accompaniment to this feel-good song.
The single is from the band’s first full-length album, ‘Callithump Parade’, which is due for release in the summer of 2024. The Great North Special are a vibrant 7-piece jam band that originally bonded over a love for the Grateful Dead. Along with this great inspiration, the band combine country, blues, folk and psychedelia to create inventive, engrossing music that simply feels good. Check it out.
