It’s a busy time for Miles Kane, with the announcement of his new album Sunlight in the Shadows and his upcoming sold out gig for the closing of the Leadmill.
As a sneak peak into the new album he’s released single Love is Cruel. Miles shared that the track was recorded on a song writing trip to Nashville where he worked alongside The Black Keys’ frontman Dan Auerbach, producer of the album and Miles’ self-proclaimed ‘friend for life’.
Kane describes the single as “Clint Eastwood and Judy Garland in the desert at dusk”. And while I’m not wholeheartly sure where he’s going with that, it is probably my favourite Miles Kane track ever.
I can definitely hear the influences from his past work as a part of The Last Shadow Puppets, but Miles has reworked that energy and made it completely his own. It doesn’t leave you wistful for something that could have been, but delighted that he’s taken his successful side project and managed to work more of that into his solo work. He’s spoken a lot in recent years about working on himself, finding his place and being true to who he is, and I can truly hear that in this song. While I enjoyed much of his previous album, One Man Band, it definitely felt superficial at times where Love is Cruel feels emotive and meaningful.
Musically, I appreciated the way the heavy guitars set the initial tone of Love is Cruel but then give way to allow the vocals to shine. This ongoing interplay between the various layers of the track makes it sonically interesting. I enjoyed the lightness and higher pitch of the vocals, and there’s a lovely little rise at the end of each chorus before it snaps back to the guitars. You really feel like the song takes you on a musical journey. It’s simply structured yet acoustically complex, and I hope this is a sign of what’s to come. I’m excited to hear the album!