Beth Shalom Records (Petlib., itoldyouiwouldeatyou, Rosehip Teahouse) are delighted to announce that Sorry, I Wasn’t Listening, the debut EP from Human Head, will be released on 13th December 2019.
Human Head is the new industrial pop / hip-hop solo project of poet and storyteller Joshua Jones, originally from Llanelli, South Wales, but now residing in Bristol. Refraining from releasing music under his own name, Jones uses Human Head as an umbrella identity under which artistic freedom, exploration, and collaboration across the disciplines of poetry, music, and visual art are open to creative experimentation.
The lead single from the EP is ‘No One Lives Here Yet’, out now on all good digital service providers. The second track on the EP, the single was the first song written when Jones and producer Thom Weeks began recording together.
“It’s about not feeling at home when you’re at home,” explains Jones, “and the self-destructive ways of thinking that manifest when problems are swept under the carpet.”
Sorry, I Wasn’t Listening was recorded and produced by Thom Weeks (Binboy, Shit Present, Gnarwolves). Across its five tracks, the record variously explores themes of identity, living below the poverty line, alcohol abuse, and mental health. Self-doubt and the crippling anxiety that come from graduating university with no life plan, learning how to perceive and understand oneself after being diagnosed with learning difficulties, and the loss of identity within a doomed relationship are all a part of the conversation throughout the EP, with Jones sometimes covering all these topics and more in just one song.
Taking influence from a wide range of artists including Arab Strap, Joji, Modest Mouse, Waxahatchee, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Massive Attack, Portishead, Radiohead, and Joan of Arc, the record’s sprawling and diverse soundscapes touch on a multitude of genres and sound palettes to create a truly unique and intriguing insight into Jones’ private and often unusually eclectic sonic world.
For example, late EP cut ‘Look Shocked’ melds a Belinda Carlisle sample with arpeggiated chiptune bleeps and a driving techno bassline—all wrapped up in Jones’ engaging and laconic Welsh drawl as he unravels a profound kitchen-sink drama through his lyrics—whilst EP closer and second single ‘Room To Haunt’, a story of small town drudgery and familial conflict, trips beautifully off the tongue over a dreamy psych-pop backing track.
As an entry point into Jones’ insightful and individual take on merging his two loves of poetry and music, Sorry, I Wasn’t Listening is both a poignant and charming debut from the Welsh newcomer.
Sorry, I Wasn’t Listening is released 13th December 2019 via Beth Shalom Records