Last updated: 5 hours ago
“The turbulence surrounds me from the day until the night” Down At The Undertow.
Forget everything you think you know about Joel Stoker. Set aside the five consecutive Top 50 albums with The Rifles and the riotous sell-out tours where every tune is transformed into a rousing communal singalong. Erase from your mind support slots with The Who, The Stones, Madness and The Specials.
Because his solo debut, The Undertow, sees Joel raising the artistic bar to a whole new level. Both effortlessly melodic and unflinchingly honest — more of which shortly — its 11 tracks see him entering completely new sonic territory, the ’70s funk-flecked grooves, festival bangers and fiddle-assisted stomps reflecting touchstones ranging from Bob Marley to Arcade Fire.
“I’ve always just written songs, and a lot of them aren’t Rifles songs,” explains Joel of his creative process. “They’re usually written on an acoustic guitar, and they’re usually quite slow.. it was nice to do it all myself.
The result is The Undertow. Stunning opener ‘Walls Fall’ establishes the pensive, soulful mood. It’s when the album reaches its mid-point, however, that The Undertow reveals even greater depths, with the singer digging deep into his psyche.
Keep calm and carry on, people. Because in an age of say-nothing pop and corporate rock, The Undertow does what all great music should — lift the spirits and stir the soul. There won’t be a better album released this year. Come on in — the water’s lovely.
Forget everything you think you know about Joel Stoker. Set aside the five consecutive Top 50 albums with The Rifles and the riotous sell-out tours where every tune is transformed into a rousing communal singalong. Erase from your mind support slots with The Who, The Stones, Madness and The Specials.
Because his solo debut, The Undertow, sees Joel raising the artistic bar to a whole new level. Both effortlessly melodic and unflinchingly honest — more of which shortly — its 11 tracks see him entering completely new sonic territory, the ’70s funk-flecked grooves, festival bangers and fiddle-assisted stomps reflecting touchstones ranging from Bob Marley to Arcade Fire.
“I’ve always just written songs, and a lot of them aren’t Rifles songs,” explains Joel of his creative process. “They’re usually written on an acoustic guitar, and they’re usually quite slow.. it was nice to do it all myself.
The result is The Undertow. Stunning opener ‘Walls Fall’ establishes the pensive, soulful mood. It’s when the album reaches its mid-point, however, that The Undertow reveals even greater depths, with the singer digging deep into his psyche.
Keep calm and carry on, people. Because in an age of say-nothing pop and corporate rock, The Undertow does what all great music should — lift the spirits and stir the soul. There won’t be a better album released this year. Come on in — the water’s lovely.
Monthly Listeners
1,285
Monthly Listeners History
Track the evolution of monthly listeners over the last 28 days.
Followers
1,539
Followers History
Track the evolution of followers over the last 28 days.
Top Cities
195 listeners
69 listeners
40 listeners
35 listeners
15 listeners
Related Artists
Chris Helme
Jack Valero
Adam Zindani
The Sleeping Souls
Tom Clarke
The 355's
LPMC
This Rebel
86TVs
Guy Chambers and The Lemon Trees
The Odds
Pretty Cartel
The Rah's
The Shantlys
Philip Seth Campbell
Billy Sullivan
