Joy Crookes – Perfect Crime

Photo / Ewen Spencer

“’Perfect Crime’ is written about that scary bit of time just before you go back into the dating world and you need to just bite the bullet and dive into something. It’s kind of like my version of a mantra or doing positive affirmations in the mirror…this song is basically me giving myself a pep talk.”

Joy Crookes

Joy Crookes – Feet Don’t Fail Me Now

Track of the week. Joy Crookes channels an essence of Amy Winehouse on new single ‘Feet Don’t Fail Me Now’. A perfect blend of indie and soul, this is a sound that is sonically captivating and lyrically intelligent.

“This song is one of the most complicated songs I’ve ever written (in a good way). The track carries with it a deep sense of irony, it’s written from the perspective of someone who finds it easier to remain complicit out of a fear of being cancelled. During the social and political turmoil of the last 12 months, performative behaviour has become prevalent alongside cancel culture. These two reactions I think are often intertwined as cancel culture can be a response to half hearted performatism.”
 
“In some sense you can sympathise with the perspective I’m singing from because cancel culture is scary, as is re-educating yourself and challenging your friends and families. Ultimately I hope the song encourages people to be a bit braver, whilst the themes are clear in my head the chorus is universal – ‘man I guess I was scared, feet don’t fail me now, I got to stand my ground and though I’m down for trying, I am better in denial so I hush don’t make a sound’. Open up a dialogue, speak out, make mistakes – that’s okay and that’s how progress happens.”

Joy Crookes

BBC Sound of 2020 announced

Here we go again… BBC Sound of has just released it’s longlist for 2020 and I honestly feel this is the first time in years that they have had a list which is actually relevant… Anyhow – here’s the lucky kids (along with the first time most of these were featured on Alfitude):

My money’s on Yungblud to win this, but my heart is with Arlo Parks and Celeste. The shortlist and eventual winner will be announced in January 2020.