When Johnny Marr made his welcome return with ‘Spirit, Power & Soul’ back in September, he announced the details of his forthcoming album, Fever Dreams Pts 1-4 – due for release in February 2022. What was particularly exciting about the announcement was the news that he’d be drip feeding us the album in the form of four EP’s! Having reviewed his first EP back in October, we’ve enjoyed spending some time with his second, which was released today.
First up is ‘Lightning People’ – featuring killer bass and backing vocals from Primal Scream bassist and Soho Radio DJ Simone Butler, it’s a tranquil track that possesses a real electro-soul vibe. Once again, Johnny impresses with his smooth vocals but it’s the glam-gospel style chorus that makes the track soar.
For fans who caught Johnny on his recent run of UK dates, this EP is a god send because we finally have the recorded version of his exhilarating opener, ‘Hideaway Girl’ – a guitar fuelled track that packs one hell of a punch, courtesy of drummer Jack Mitchell.
Explosive third track, ‘Sensory Street’ is another that recently impressed live – psychedelically gripping from the second the synth loop kicks in, it’s a track that showcases Johnny’s talent of bypassing genres and seeing where his creativity takes him.
Perhaps the strongest and catchiest track on the EP, ‘Tenement Time’ has indie anthem written all over it and appears to have become quite the fan favourite since it was released on streaming platforms last month. Quirkily launching straight into the chorus and boasting flawless instrumentation from the entire band, it’s a rousing track that was written about the experience of growing up in the inner city as a little kid.
It’s becoming more apparent with each EP that Johnny and his band are delivering some of their best work yet and as we said in our review of Fever Dreams Pt.1, it’s as impressive as ever to see an artist with such an extensive career still pushing forward. As far as we’re concerned, Fever Dreams Pt.3 can’t come soon enough!
You can grab a copy of Fever Dreams Pt.2 on purple vinyl from independent record stores.