The latest single from Matt Owens is a powerful piece, both musically and lyrically; it’s an emotionally resonant political statement and a hugely enjoyable listen. The vocal performance from Owens is excellent and he combines well with the bluesy Elles Bailey, an inspired choice for a collaboration. The song is written from the point of view of the Devil, who sees “…people doing worse in the name of God.” Owens takes an interesting theme and translates it into a crowd-pleasing melodic rock number, displaying superb songcraft.
Owens explains the story behind writing and recording the song: “Although this was influenced by specific events, it was as much about trying to tap into the danger and corruption that still persists at the top of the tree, seemingly everywhere. I just imagined the Devil pulling over by the side of the road on hearing the headlines on the radio, feeling he was unable to compete with the going-ons of those claiming to have God on their side.
The song was cut in Bath at Mizpah Studios as soon as we were allowed out of the first lockdown, engineered by Marc Macnab-Jack (Reef, The Heavy, Band of Skulls), seeing as we couldn’t make it back to Manchester due to lockdown, (where we’d begun the record.) It was a great opportunity to work with Elles Bailey, who I had been co-writing with for a while, and I wanted a female vocalist to help sell the narrative. Having opened it like a piano ballad, we then turned it on it’s head and used it as an excuse to rock out a bit.” And rock out they do as the song gallops towards its conclusion, taking in a searing guitar solo along the way.
‘Another Song About the Devil’ is taken from the upcoming album, ‘Scorched Earth’, which is due for release on 30th October. Look out for it across digital platforms, with CDs exclusively available on Bandcamp (here) and selected record stores. It promises to be an engaging listen from the founder-member of Noah and the Whale.
