Brisbane’s Jarryd James has a song with a tense, simple melody, big Down Under and on its way over here. There are definite echoes of Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye, which came from Melbourne to rule the world in 2012.
Like that song, James’s Do You Remember is catchy but it’s not strictly pop music – it’s something darker, sure to nag away at your brain in the small hours.
Awolnation’s mega-seller, Sail, could be another reference point, as moody music that triumphed in the pop world despite its lack of a smile. James is now based in LA but the numbers coming from Australia are mightily impressive: it has been the most Shazamed song in Australia, with those using the track identification service going on to send it double platinum over there.
Meanwhile, the Aria awards (their equivalent of the Brits) have named it Best Pop Release. It’s on sale here now, anticipating a big push to our radio stations in March, in a new guise with the addition of a middle segment from hot Atlanta rapper Raury that adds appropriately to the drama. It should be bringing some gloom to the upper reaches of our hit parade very soon.
March 1, XOYO, EC2 (020 7354 9993, xoyo.co.uk)