Speaking on the subject of his new EP, London’s Jeremy Tuplin expresses a desire to move away from the more conventional folk roots of his debut toward something that better reflects the diversity of his influences, which span “Cass Mccombs to Willy Mason, from Leonard Cohen to Bill Callahan, but also acts from the London circuit who are barely known but incredible.”
“I wanted to try and create something that’s not really specific to any genre. I’ve got loads of different influences – from There’s that underlying ‘folk’ element, but I’m hoping this EP moves away from that to something more contemporary.”
The five tracks which comprise the EP demonstrate a warmth and maturity that’s disarming. The sparse arrangements are considered and prove to be effective in their understated detailing. A picked acoustic guitar provides the primary backing to Tuplin’s voice on the Cohenesque ballad ‘Kathleen’, although there are subtle embellishments and augmentations over the course of the song.
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Some clumsy rhyming, which sees Tuplin rhyme ‘morning’ with ‘yawning’ and ‘born in’, as well as ‘quein’’, ‘brewin’’ and ‘persuin’’ mars the otherwise beautiful ‘Time’s Essence’, but in the main, he presents himself as a dextrous lyricist with an ear for gentle melody.
Indeed, Tuplin demonstrates an attention to detail which brings his superficially simple songs to life and adds real depth. Backing vocals ae used sparingly and as a counterpoint to his idiosyncratic vocal style, which actually works rather well.
Jeremy Tuplin Online
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