Back with his first solo material in over three years, Tribes frontman and film composer Johnny Lloyd releases his new album ‘Punchline’ this month with themes of love, loss and letting go, written at the tail end of 2022 when the world was still transitioning out of the pandemic.
The album opens with `Roller King` which has trumpet blasts and some gentle harmonies, questioning vocals, keys, acoustic guitar, and a quietly shared drum pulse and seems to be a paean in praise of somebody who’s always there to help and support. A stripped back rhythmic beat leads us through ‘If You Love Them, Let Them Go’ a tale of a broken relationship where the narrator is left behind but realises it`s best to just set them free.
`Manchester In Bloom` appears to be a metaphor for a partner whom you take for granted shared against a dreamy soundscape. In `Personality Disorder` we have a jagged offering that seems to be about somebody with what appears to be complex emotional needs who realises they are exploiting somebody but don`t seem to care.
`Bands In Economy` is a misty mediative musing with some charming lap steel guitar sprinkled throughout. A number that may well be autobiographical. There`s a kind of jazz like ambience to `Love, Death, Hate, Paranoia` but with brass tones. A song that could well be a shared inner monologue with possible mental health implications.
`On The House` feels like a country song with some abstract lyrics while `Paradise On A Postcard` may well be an imagined daydream of an idealised lifestyle set against a vague indistinct melody.
`Lifetimes` is another dreamy offering with further hypothetic lyrical content. The closing number comes with `I’ll Be Kind This Time` which may be a realisation or acceptance of past mistakes made in relationships and the desire not to repeat them again this time. A final pensive ruminative composition.
`Punchline` is a pretty evocative, atmospheric and at times ethereal listen with songs about heartbreak, love and loss and maybe some philosophical musings as well. An album that may well reveal more on each further hearing.
Rating 8/10
