Mystery Jets - A Billion Heartbeats

  by Zena Grieg

published: 25 / 6 / 2020

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Long-time advocates for social change, indie band the Mystery Jets, nominated in 2017 for an Ivor Novello award, are releasing their new album ‘A Billion Heartbeats’. Blaine Harrison and other band members have frequently spoken out about climate emergency, the refugee crisis and mental health support. Many of the songs in this new album were influenced by Harrison witnessing from an office block overlooking Trafalgar Square in 2017 the Black Lives Matter, NHS, Extinction Rebellion, Brexit and climate change marches, reflecting all parts of the political spectrum. The indie-rock single ‘Screwdriver’ sets the tone from the outset with its thumping riffs, searing guitar and emotive lyrics, warning of the rise of the far right, its call to “fight them with love”, building to an empowering conclusion with the chorus “When the power of love overcomes/The love of power/Then the world will be ours.” Other highlights are ‘History Has Its Eyes on You’, inspired by the women’s marches of 2017, its colourfully layering distant synths, reverse guitar and overdubbed vocals creating an expansive sound; ‘Hospital Radio’ a heartfelt appreciation of the NHS, (particularly relevant for Harrison who has lived with spina bifida), a song uncannily prescient of the current coronavirus reality, defiantly declaring “All that is not for sale.” The album ends with the dramatic, resplendent piano and synth-led ‘Wrong Side of the Tracks’, a tribute to young climate protesters targeted by the right, its powerful refrain “To-night, no one can stop them, only me and you/Tonight, no one can stop us, nothing they can do.” This sixth album effectively captures the zeitgeist of post-referendum Britain. A diverse collection, spanning the musical spectrum, with influences from psych-rock, blues and indie-pop, its central message is personal responsibility and the power of engagement.

Track Listing:-

1 Screwdriver
2 Petty Drone
3 History Has Its Eyes On You
4 A Billion Heartbeats
5 Endless City
6 Hospital Radio
7 Cenotaph
8 Campfire Song
9 Watching Yourself Slowly Disappear
10 Wrong Side Of The Tracks

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