Video Premiere: Blair Dunlop “Let’s Get Out of the City”

Here is possibly the most dramatic video you’ll see this year.  Reinforcing the theme of ‘Let’s Get Out of the City’ by Blair Dunlop, we see office workers at war with one another in wonderfully choreographed scenes of chaos and violence.  The visual energy reflects the song’s driving rhythms and bright guitar, over which Dunlop delivers a smooth vocal and a catchy melody.  He says of the single: “‘Let’s Get Out of the City’ is a song playing into the desire to get out
of London.  It explores themes of monotony and the vices that so often accompany life in our
capital. For all it has to offer, ultimately, anyone can be forgiven for wanting to fill the car up and get out of the city at some point of another.”

The song is from the forthcoming album ‘Out of the Rain’, due for release on 24th May 2024.  Previous single, ‘I Wanna Be Running’, was featured on BBC Radio 2 and 15 Spotify playlists.  Dunlop says of the new record: “It’s been 5 years since my last record, comfortably my longest gap between releases, so it feels really good to be able to put this out in the world.”  Dunlop is in the middle of a 25-date UK tour to promote ‘Out of the Rain’ – details and tickets here.

2018’s ‘Notes from an Island’ was a more introspective affair, reflecting on Brexit Britain. Produced by Jim Moray (Jackie Oates, Wheeler Street, James Raynard), the new material represents a conscious effort to project a more positive approach and a desire to connect, with themes of freedom, change, newness and a celebration of spring.  Dunlop continues: “Jim Moray is someone I’ve admired for many years.  He was one of the reasons I first got into traditional music in my teens.  Since then, my personal style has evolved, but there are aspects of traditional storytelling that seep into my original works.  One of the album tracks, ‘Midday Mass’ is a reflection of that. It’s a song about a café back in my hometown of Chesterfield, but I guess that it’s a vehicle for a social commentary as much as anything else. The industry hasn’t fully recovered from the pandemic yet, but it is a blessing to be able to tour in any capacity again. Freedom is a theme that runs throughout (unintentionally), and I reckon that’s reflected musically as well as lyrically.  I’ve reached a point in my career where I just want to make the music I want to make, and give less consideration to where it may sit in terms of stylings and genre.  That’s an empowering place to be and it opens up a world of sonic possibilities.”

Upbeat and catchy, ‘Let’s Get Out of the City’ is a stirring, enjoyable ride out of town.  Absorb it while you’re waiting for the album.