Following the release of their swinging new single 'Stranger Things', we caught up with rising country four-piece Tragicomics to find out more about the music they love and why! Check out the band's picks below and if you're a fan, you're sure to love the new track and music video!
1. Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell
My pick is Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell, which was written by songwriting legend
Jimmy Webb. This song is really nostalgic for me - my parents often listened to Glen
Campbell when I was a child so it brings back happy memories of long car journeys with my
family. A ton of people have covered this song over the years, but Billy Joel said ‘Wichita
Lineman’ is “a simple song about an ordinary man thinking extraordinary thoughts” and I
really like that. It’s pretty existential. The musicality of it is just great. No one can argue with
that sublime bass line (provided by another legend, Carol Kaye) and the string arrangement
is beautiful. With those velvety vocals on top, it’s just perfection. - Laura
2. Run Through The Jungle by CCR
Long story short, I was listening to a track called ‘Locked and Loaded’ by Brant Bjork a few
years ago. There's a line in it that goes ‘Vietnam rock on my radio.’ This got me thinking
about how music and cinema can define an era – both in a good and bad way – and whether or not this was reflective of the reality of the time. Nevertheless, a rabbit hole ensued and I was introduced to a band I'd always heard about but never actually listened to: CCR. John Fogerty is one hell of a songwriter. There's a tension to this tune that never quite gets
resolved. His voice is gravelly, the guitars are loose, the harmonica solo off-kilter. Though
I'm not actually sure that the song is about Johns time in the Vietnam War, it certainly feels like it. And yet, it's basically a three-and-something-minute pop tune that was perfectly crafted for the radio. - Toby
3. Song For A Rainy Day by Jon Gomm
This is actually a cover version of a song by the late great busker Jonny Walker, who was a
good friend of Jon’s. He would travel through the UK playing to anyone who would listen. I
can’t imagine how many people heard his music and never even knew it. Then he sadly took
his own life a few years back. The song is reborn in Jon’s version. Not just through his
virtuoso guitar playing; it also feels as if the song was always meant for this purpose, a story
to be told from Jon’s perspective, a lament for his fallen comrade. The lyrics are eerily
poignant coming from Jon, and should remind us that changing the subject of a story can
have a radical effect on its meaning; we may never know how many people are touched by
our art. - Jay
4. Bonny by Prefab Sprout
I knew nothing about Prefab Sprout for years, except for an annoying song about hot dogs
that I vaguely remember hearing as a kid. But then I came across Paddy McAloon’s solo
album, recorded while mostly blind and stitched together from radio recordings and audio
artefacts, and fell deep into the hole. I love discovering music from a bygone time. There’s
so much great music these days it’s easy to forget the abundance of treasures lurking in the
past. Prefab Sprout are one of those amazing bands that just sound timeless; take away the
80s reverb and shoulder pads and you’re left with these brilliantly intricate, clever pop songs
that worm their way into your brain. The guitar lines in this tune could easily be lifted from
something from decades later. - Chris
5. Outta Time by Orville Peck
Alt-country - and country music in general, let’s be honest - doesn’t get a lot of love these
days. People immediately think of hammy stereotypes, faux sincerity, lyrics about trucks and
cowboys, and boomer bends galore. It’s a perception that refuses to shift despite people like
Orville Peck absolutely proving this isn’t the case. He embraces the theatricality of old
country, taking the lonesome cowboy archetype and filtering it through a queerness and self-
awareness that is just wonderful. This song uses almost every hallmark country standard
and yet still sounds fresh, urgent, optimistic and defeated all at the same time. It’s a good
reminder that there are always new ways to interpret old classics, and infinite avenues for
creativity if you look hard enough. - Tragicomics
Watch the new music video for 'Stranger Things' below:
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