Truth, communication, and clarity. With the past in the rear-view mirror, Jacob Slater returns, a little older, a little wiser.
Words: Brad Harris | Photo: Kiefer Nyron Taylor
Teal is a formidable colour. It has represented many things to many people throughout history, usually showing up as shorthand for truth, communication, and clarity. With the past in the rear-view mirror, Jacob Slater returns, a little older, a little wiser, with new project Wunderhorse to wrestle with these notions in his newest aptly titled single.
A turn away from the rowdy successes of Slater’s previous infamous project (Dead Pretties), it’s evident that he’s spent some time lingering in the doorways of confessional writers like Mr. L. Cohen and Joni Mitchell. The austere release via Yala! Records only adds to the fact that the song speaks entirely for itself. It’s a calmer, and more thoughtful style of song-writing that finds him relishing his talent and not wanting to squander it and, by the song’s end, finding joy in both companionship and music itself.
It’s refreshing to hear someone admit that the whole post-punk thing may have “just ran its course” and that perhaps sincerity and real, actual emotion can be a valid thing for a scene to have. “I’ve always listened to people like Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell” he says, and it’s figures like these who took the risk of looking inward for inspiration and found a rich and rewarding way of expressing our shared passions, desires, and fears. It might be a stretch to say that Jacob Slater has achieved these heights, but it’s exciting to hear someone so talented start to take that risk too. With a promised album of new material imminent, expect this softer side to develop further.
hardofhearingmagazine.com 