Single Premiere: You’re So Cruel – George Wilding (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

One of the great things about writing about new music is that you generally get to hear it before the general public. One of the problems with writing about new music is that you don’t always have the live stream to add to the review or the record’s artwork to show the potential buyer. Such is the case here. So, you will have to take my word that the artwork is pretty groovy (a world away from the attached picture of the artist “lyin’ in a burned-out basement”, to quote Mr Neil Young), and when it comes to the music, well, you will just have to take my word. (Trust me, I know what I’m doing.)

While George Wilding is great at echoing iconic sounds from the past, such as the quirky Kinks-esque charm of “Terrible Little Secret” or the Jeff Buckley-inspired soundscaping of “Martha,” here, he seems totally focused on the here and now. Actually, more than that, “You’re So Cruel” is the sound of him running headlong into the future.

Raw indie guitar riffs, widescreen sonics, and a modern alt-pop strut all add up to the sound of effortless momentum, an indie-pop anthem for the modern age, one whose wake you can’t help but be dragged along in.

At two and a quarter minutes, it is undoubtedly one of his shorter songs, but that underlines what an astute songwriter he is. When the job at hand calls for elegant and elongated sonic swathes, he is your man, but as we see here, he also understands that sometimes the song is best served by just getting in there, getting the job done, telling it like it is, and getting the hell out of there.

“You’re So Cruel” is short, sharp, and shockingly refreshing. Simple as that.

Edit: “You’re So Cruel” is now out, listen here…