I’m not saying that What’s the New Mary Jane sounds like any one band or artist in particular, but they do sound like a time and a scene. That time is the sixties, fading out as the seventies are ushered in. That scene feels like the dark belly of the Summer of Love, outliving its parent, those underground bands slowly gaining traction as the antithesis of the hippy dream. They also sound like a place, somewhere along the US east coast, a grittier and more visceral vibe, more New York cynicism rather than California fluff. (Although they are actually from the UK… Plymouth to be precise.)
Even the most casual listener will hear Lou Reed’s sing-speak growl echoing through “A Piece of Fruit Will Set You Free,” but it makes a nice change from all those bands who are still trying to sound like Arctic Monkeys (give it a rest, please.)
I love the slow melodics of the song, its unhurried nature, its nod to psychedelic weirdness as it crosses the finish line, its blend of world weariness and a reminder that you only live once, so live the life that is right for you, its nod to the blues drawl and raw simplicity of “Venus in Furs”…. okay, there is a lot of Reed and The Velvets going on here but i love that band and I reckon enough time has passed for us to need some of their creative darkness back in our lives. Music is, after all, cyclical.
It’s a simple song delivering complex vibes, a straightforward idea with the most poignant and pertinent of messages.
