We’re glad to announce that Dunfermline, Scotland-based indie rock/pop band Gentlemen Jackals have released a new single, entitled “Out of Reach.”
Gentlemen Jackals are frontman Mark Wilson (vocals, guitar), Scott Thomson (vocals, bass), Cameron Berwick (drums), and Craig McMahon (lead guitar). The Scottish foursome’s new single is the follow up to their 2020 single, “Wisdom to the Wise,” which was released in support of the Music Venue Trust’s #SaveOurVenues campaign.
“Out of Reach” was written and arranged via Zoom, recorded in isolation, and crafted by sharing iPhone recordings of guitar riffs and harmony ideas. So much about the song was tweaked and changed that it bears little resemblance to the version that Gentlemen Jackals originally written and recorded in 2017. “We’d always liked the song’s catchy chorus but, to be perfectly honest, we should never have included it on our first EP,” says Thomson. “We finished writing it in a hurry and the middle-eight left a lot to be desired. We definitely dropped the ball – but you live and you learn! We decided to produce a new version of the track in lockdown, scrapping the middle section and starting over.”
Despite the happy-go-lucky atmosphere that chracterizes “Out of Reach,” the song focuses on a story of young lovers separated by distance, and has a sincere message that we can all relate to during these uncertain times.
“I wrote the lyrics way back in 2017,” explains Wilson. “I was offered a job in the States. Accepting it would have meant leaving my life in Scotland – my family, my partner and Gentlemen Jackals. Long story short: I decided not to go…The new middle-eight acts as an epilogue to the events we sing about on the rest of the track. We took a lot of the themes we’d explored in the original lyrics and added to them. We wanted to say that you don’t need to leave your friends and family and travel the world to have an adventure.”
Gentlemen Jackals also released a great music video for “Out of Reach,” which you can check out here:
For listeners who are unfamiliar with Gentlemen Jackals’ music, the band writes, “People listening to Gentlemen Jackals for the first time should expect ear-pleasing pop coupled with the abrasive bark of fuzzy power chords and chiming riffs. This song was written back in 2017, but was reworked and recorded almost entirely while the UK was in lockdown during the pandemic. The song is also the first one to feature new drummer, Cammy, behind the kit, having swapped his sticks for a djembe and pots and pans on 2020’s ‘Wisdom to the Wise.’ The song is all about seeing the world and having new adventures, and the impact distance can have on a relationship – something we can all relate to in a changed world!”
“Out of Reach” begins with Wilson strumming a cheery guitar chord progression, which establishes the foundation for the song’s harmonic structure. Thompson and Berwick soon join in on bass and drums respectively, forming an uplifting groove reminiscent of 60s girl groups, and complementing McMahon’ soaring lead guitar licks quite nicely. Wilson and Thomson trade lead vocals (a first for Gentlemen Jackals) throughout the track, with the former handling the verses with ease and the latter belting out the anthemic pre-choruses, which culminate in both vocalists belting out “Out of Reach”’s catchy and memorable chorus.
“Out of Reach” is quite an enjoyable listen, showcasing Gentlemen Jackals’ excellent musicianship as well as their creative songwriting, and I would highly recommend this track to fans of indie rock and indie pop alike.
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This coverage was created via Musosoup #Sustainablecurator https://www.musosoup.com/sustainable-curator