Whenever Morrissey comes back from his thirty-year long expedition to find the heart of melancholy, and reveals his 80s lovechild with Debbie Harry, don’t be surprised to find the name ‘Desperate Journalist’ tattooed across our collective consciousness, because they’re the product. The four-piece from the wilds of North London have developed their very own post-urban sound, a clash of the new romantic with some distinctly grungy undertones.
To say that the band sounds like the Smiths is derivative, although their sound is somewhat indicative of grey matter skies and industrial landscapes, just as Morrissey’s voice beckons one’s imagination to Mancunian architecture and Thatcher’s Britain.

I could throw comparisons at the band all day long, but that’s only because they sound like bands that I appreciate. At times they sound like The Libertines, and at the next The Cure. Without treading too far into the philosophical, perhaps their sound is so symptomatic of such acts, derives from their inspirations. Likely-as-not, Desperate Journalist would probably tell you just that.

‘Control’ is a fast-paced blend of rhythm and precision reflecting a certain solemnity and complementing one another with each brooding beat. Whilst attempting not to sound like a broken record, and yet I proceed. Guitarist Rob Hardy’s sporadic and melodious instrumentals are suggestive of a Johnny Marr in quality and execution, whilst both base and precision go through the motions of a post-Smithsian master class.

Front(wo)man, Jo Bevan‘s lyricism exposes something of the British condition, transforming your discontented demeanour into action as you nod emphatically in agreement with each verse, your copy of the Guardian tight to your chest.

The accompanying video is a stripped down, minimalistic preview of the band. The video doesn’t stray away from the music with a convoluted story or conflicting imagery. The message is very much there to see, just musicians simply going about their business, like a construction worker would mix concrete or a chef fry onions. Desperate Journalist business, however, is to make you feel like you’re not just the Odd John in the corner, but that the corner is occupied by like-minded if not moody souls to yourself.

Desperate Journalist’s self-titled debut is set to be released on January 26th. The album, exclusively produced in Soho’s famous Dean Street Studios, puts the band in the company of acts like David Bowie, Florence and the Machine and more recently the red devil himself, Ed Sheeran. One last comparison between the Smiths (I swear); much like the DIY attitude of the Mancunian romantics, Desperate Journalist’s put their all into the creative process, directing their own music videos and creating their own unique cover art.

Listen to their debut ‘Control’ on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNwQTRLHTE8&feature=youtu.be

Tom Keane