Thunder Jackson emerge with debut single ‘Guilty Party’

Every weekday, DIY’s new music know-it-all Neu brings you one essential new release to get obsessed with. Today’s Neu Pick comes from Thunder Jackson.

Who are Thunder Jackson? Well, here’s what we know: Thunder Jackson isn’t one man but instead a duo, formed after a chance encounter in a Los Angeles taxi cab. Moving past the general niceties and a little bit of suspicion, it soon became clear to both parties that they were both restless, eagerly searching out something new.

For a year, the pair – one originally from Oklahoma and the other from the south coast of Wales - have been working in a basement on the city’s west side on their debut album. After that, little is known about the pair who make up Thunder Jackson. Except that, whoever they are, they know how to piece together a song that’s both danceable while also swimming in a pool of melancholy.

Their debut single ‘Guilty Party’ features snapping beats and twangs of funk-inflected guitar, as well as acrobatic vocals that skip over the lyrics like poetry. Into that mix is a tale of messing up, the vocals explaining that “I was fucked up/ It’s not what I meant”. The hook even plays on a tasty pun, saying “guilty party/ Dancing in the mess I’ve made”. Whatever incident they might be referring to, the mysterious duo certainly haven’t made a mess of bringing their work into the world.

Listen to ‘Guilty Party’ below.