Jamie Beale - Hello Nimbus 
Release Date: Out Now
Bristolian Jamie Beale has stepped out on his own this year after fronting the Novatines for a while and this album, 'Hello Nimbus', is his debut solo long player. There's a 46 second 'Intro' that feels like the breathy, moody opening to a David Lynch short film before we launch in to triumphant and striding former single 'Borderline' which blends 80s British synth pop with the more current day swagger of the Killers. 'King Godzilla' remains one of the most infectious and funky singles of 2022 and 'Champagne People' has a moody brilliance about it, tailor made for crowds to sing back to to the stage with mobile phone flashlights waving in time with the music.
The blues guitar stomp of 'Cherry Cola' is steeped in American roadtrip vibes and you can almost feel the warm Californian air in your face as this one glides smoothly by. There's an Arctic Monkeys vibe to 'When It All Comes Down' which shuffles and jangles along before 'The Rain' brings back that throaty guitar sound with staccato riffs and smooth, semi-crooning vocals filling in the gaps. 'We Go Back' builds a sense of tension through brooding synths before the guitars and drums come rolling in like thunder clouds approaching from the horizon.
The penultimate track on this debut collection is 'Goodbye, Good Luck' which is another Lynchian soundscape that exists between the sleeping and waking with dreamy vocals wafting in and out of your consciousness. The album climaxes with the nearly 9 minute opus 'Charade' which moves through cinematic composition in to moody prog-indie and then on to something approaching rock opera - it is a bold ending to an ambitious yet accomplished debut album. Jamie Beale is clearly a prodigious and imaginative talent and one which we need to cherish, support and promote so get to it. Seriously....get on with it. Now!
More information: https://www.facebook.com/jamiebealeofficial