It’s fair to say that seeing DEADLETTER live and listening to their debut album Hysterical Strength on repeat were two highpoints of my recent musical adventurings. So when frontman Zac Lawrence’s solo record ‘Beware of Pity’ landed in my inbox I was more than a little excited. I then discovered with jittering joy that it was a 60’s folk inspired drop of potential loveliness. Yes, I cried, as I gave my little beardy chin a pensive scratch, quickly crossed myself in the name of Woody, Bert and the Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan and hit play. Thankfully, with folk’s holy trinity watching over me, I was not disappointed.
Throughout ‘Beware of Pity’, Lawrence’s acoustic guitar is joined by warm harmonies, unexpected choral feasts, touches of cello, clarinet, harmonica and stunning lyrics that bind it all together. For fans of DEADLETTER this will come as no surprise and within the regular brevity of folky instrumentation his words are laid bare and are captivating.
Lawrence has said that album’s opener ‘Last shot fired’ was inspired by childhood turbulence. So when you hear, ‘All he ever wanted was communion, but all he ever got was no-man’s land.’ you want to gun your DeLorean up to 88 and call Yorkshire social services. In ‘S F’s field day’ he recounts the visitation of a departed friend, not as a frightening event but as ‘two old friends convening on the street’ and as a ‘fandango with farewell’. Misty Miller joins the vocal on this one – as she does beautifully throughout the record – and the song is a treat. It wraps you up and gives even the most ardent atheist hope that there just might be something else past the ever-encroaching mortal finish line.
‘Susanna Reid’ reveals that Lawrence probably isn’t Good Morning Britain’s biggest fan as he describes the unsettling sensation of seeing her likeness in his mum’s occasionally unsmiling face. He goes on to dispel any possible ambiguity by sitting her snuggly in a chorus next to the fascist Oswald Mosley. If Lawrence is more likely to enjoy his cornflakes with Six Music rather than ITV then I certainly can’t blame him. He then describes a series of sometimes unfortunate events in a rapid spoken word style that consciously eschews rhyme like a young song writer side-stepping a 30 year mortgage and 1.7 children.
In a clear counterpoint to the lyrically heavy evisceration of the GMB presenter, ‘Susanna Reid’ is succeeded by ‘The innocence of youth’ which has the rolling, repeated line of ‘The innocence of youth, smashed to bits and here’s your proof.’ This reworked, everyday phrase works so well that it’s hard to believe that it hasn’t been written before. It builds patiently with a chorus of multi-layered vocal harmonies, Blossom Caldarone’s drifting cello (English Teacher) and a roaming clarinet played by Nathan Pigott of DEADLETTER. This song would be a real gem in a live set, especially if toured with a full band. Being track six, this would also be a stunning way to finish the first side of the vinyl album – I’m about to rush out to get my own copy and I’m eager to find out.
‘Beware of Pity’ is genuinely brilliant with a wealth of other stand out tracks like ‘Total evasion of comfort’ and ‘Hotel Hamburg’. Throughout, Lawrence explores themes of childhood, loss, being true to yourself and the avoidance of looking back miserably in middle age and bemoaning squandered potential. These age old themes are visited with originality without leaning on the well-trodden, the hackneyed or the trite. The album demands several listens at least and offers much without ever feeling overcrowded or laboured. Big thanks to Zac Lawrence, the band and the wider team, you’ve created an album that I will doubtless be returning to for years to come.
