New Music: Ian Skelly – Jokerman

‘Jokerman’ is the second single to be taken from Ian Skelly’s sophomore album Drifter’s Skyline which is released on 31st July through Skeleton Key Records. Shindig! Magazine love the album and are pleased to share the video for ‘Jokerman’ below.

A plea for salvation sung through a sunny smile, ‘Jokerman’ promises to open the door to a bright world of Cali-influenced alt-folk, comic-strip country and fuzzy blues with hidden shades of psychedelia that don’t necessarily hit you on first listen. Calling on the ‘Jokerman‘ to provide help on a day of despair, the single reveals a fissure of vulnerability, written during a period Skelly associates with personal loss, he determinedly set out to craft a breezy, sonic antidote to what he was going through. Hitting on the formula to leave painful realities at the door.

Skelly says: “To me, pouring your sad heart out on a song is self-indulgent. When I am feeling down, I just put on T-Rex really loud and escape. I couldn’t write any sad songs when I was working on ‘Drifters Skyline’, it just had to be upbeat. Friends and family really liked ‘Jokerman’ from the start, so it seemed a good vibe. Then, when we recorded it, the entire process turned out to be great fun. It felt exciting. What should have been work in the studio turned out to be a jolly.”

Drifter’s Skyline by Ian Skelly (‘One of the year’s standout LP’s so far’ ∗∗∗∗∗Shindig! Magazine) is available to pre-order HERE.