Single: “Between Vermillion and Mitchell” by Jinder (Phil Dewhurst)
January 14, 2023
Getting new material from acclaimed Dorset singer/songwriter Jinder is always a treat and after a preview in October at a rare local gig at the Madding Crowd in Bournemouth. It is now time to see what he and long-time collaborator Peter Millson have been up to in the studio for the past 18 months. The first release from Jinder’s forthcoming thirteenth studio album Codetta is a track called “Between Vermillion and Mitchell” arriving three years after Jinder’s career-defining pair of albums from 2020, “The Silver Age” and “Almanac for the Failing Days”. The new material was recorded between Jinder’s own studio in Sherborne and Pete’s Allington West studio in Bridport, with Jinder and Millson playing all instruments, other than drums, percussion, Gauloises and withering Gallic insults, all of which were all ably provided by Bordeaux based multi-instrumentalist Anton Henri. The mastering job was taken care of by the legendary Mark Freegard.
Jinder explains “I’m delighted to be releasing music again. The last three years have been turbulent for us all, and I feel escapism is sorely needed. ‘Between Vermillion & Mitchell’ touches on that sense of ennui and inertia that we have all felt recently. Self-sabotage is a running lyrical theme throughout the new album and this song is rooted in the procrastination and lack of impetus which has affected us all in the post-pandemic landscape. Staring out at the rain and wondering where the hell we go from here. Vermillion and Mitchell are two towns in South Dakota, where my American Indian ancestors hailed from, between which there is a vast expanse of uninhabited wilderness. The song uses that metaphor to express that sense of rootlessness, being stuck between stations and not being quite sure of what we are running to and what we are running from.”
“As with every record, we’ve taken a different approach to certain aspects of recording this time around, returning to the big harmony stacks that were a trademark of my early work. I’ve really enjoyed returning to recording my own backing vocals this time around, and we’ve got into some really in-depth multi-tracking vocally. All of the lead vocals were done in a single take with no editing or overdubs, to really capture a raw and emotionally charged performance every time, but the harmonies and BVs have received the full Steely Dan style attention to detail. It’s a really great compromise between a ragged and heartfelt performance and studio polish. There is more of and early ‘80s alternative rock influence this time around, stuff like The Replacements, Echo & The Bunnymen, dBs, Posies, early REM. Bands I’ve always loved but whose influence perhaps hasn’t been so explicitly identifiable in records I’ve made in the past.”
“Between Vermillion and Mitchell” is described by the man himself as a large musical meatball dropped from the plate of “Codetta”, rolling out of an open doorway into the rainy American night as we furiously toss the salad and drizzle the Jus over the delicious main course that awaits to be served in April. Isabel is sitting in the Naugahyde booth, humming A Simple Song under her breath and thumbing a menu whilst she waits for you to arrive. She is patient but will not wait forever.
“Between Vermillion and Mitchell” is out now and the album “Codetta” is out in April, click here.
Links
http://www.jinder.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/JinderSongs