‘Jack’ is a folk song. A folk song the way folk songs should be: simple and relatable. Armed with an acoustic guitar, a violin and some percussion, British outfit 23 Fields does exactly that, penning heartwarming, relatable gems drenched in poignancy and lyrical honesty. Hailing from Hastings (the quaint village of Battle, to be precise), the group sees singer and songwriter Step at its helm.
Pushed back into music’s arms by his (forward-thinking) partner, he rallied around fellow musicians Lou Driver and Jason Smith, then built 23 Fields into the bright project it is today. ‘To Follow This Year’s Fashion’ is their debut album, released earlier this year – that’s where ‘Jack’ comes from. In fact, we wrote about the record earlier this spring, describing it as having “a cathartic quality to it, almost hypnotising”.
We stand by our words: while the subject matter behind 23 Fields’ storytelling is rather welcoming and nostalgic, there’s also a hidden component to it, a veiled melancholia that transpires track after track. Perhaps that’s what folk is generally about; describing the human condition with a keen eye for the bare truth and collective experiences.
Recommended! Discover ‘Jack’ on Spotify:
