Darwin Deez - Free (The Editorial Me)

Darwin Deez grew sick of life in the overbearing cultural metropolis of New York City and has moved back to his home town of Asheville, North Carolina - a far more sedate environment, and one in which he’s able to flourish musically while continuing to plough his irresistible indie pop furrow. ‘Free (The Editorial Me)’ offers the first indication of Deez’ new material. And it’s a real beauty.

His sound is markedly more strident than before, with a real sense of vigour in the guitar slashes. While there’s purpose in the beefed-up sound, Deez’ vocals are charmingly freeform as he wails the seemingly euphoric chorus. Lyrically, it appears to be about freedom of expression, as he proclaims that ‘I smile at the scene I see because I decide what it means to me / ‘Cause I can because I’m free’. As a counterpoint to the carefree chorus, the song ends in gentle and sedate introspection. Finger-picked guitar and shuffling thrift store beats soundtrack a doleful outro: you can be free all you like but the rigours of life will get you down in the end. It’s an intriguingly downbeat note on which to end.

As an introduction to his forthcoming second album ‘Songs For Imaginative People’, this is a perfect single for Darwin Deez. Retaining all the aspects of his earlier, instantly engaging material with a more developed songwriting sensibility, ‘Free (The Editorial Me)’ is an excellent comeback.