Here’s ‘Art of Seduction’, the latest single from Massachusetts singer-songwriter Jake McKelvie. Over a gently upbeat rhythm and bright guitar, McKelvie’s conversational style and smart lyrics are engaging and intimate: “You’re either big or you’re little // I miss the medium you…You say you’ve mastered the art of seduction and at this point you’ve all but removed all my clothes.” He delivers an absorbing vocal performance, his weary-sounding voice ranging high and low through a captivating melody. The video features McKelvie in various domestic situations, alone and wearing a mask of himself, reinforcing the song’s subtle, wry humour. Hummable melody combines with lyrical layers.
McKelvie says of the video: “Guitar, coffee, walking the dog, gardening. I could do these things forever. When I had the mask made for the cover of the record, I knew I was going to want to make a video with me wearing the mask. Then at some point I decided it would be fun to have a masked Jake versus regular Jake composite shot. I had a fun shoot with director Alex O’Neil, fumbling through the masked shots as the mask has no eye holes. Didn’t trip!”
The song is taken from McKelvie’s brand new record ‘A New Kind of Hat’, his first proper solo album since 2016’s ‘Rhinestone Busboy’. McKelvie first began writing and performing songs in his teens and, as well as his solo work, he’s released three albums with his band The Countertops. He explains the decision to record solo this time around: “The Countertops are known for energetic live shows and goofy stage antics, whereas as a solo act I do more of the folk singer thing. This new record floats somewhere in between those two things.” The result is a melodic blend of lo-fi indie-folk with a surprisingly uplifting world-weary lyricism. Enjoy.
