Simone Felice – New York Times // Song Of The Day #379

Scaling back any rock n roll indulgence for his upcoming solo record, the rugged lion of masculinity and soul that is Simone Felice just dropped the first taster track. ‘New York Times’ is swathed in a tender, low-key production and characterized by Felice’s able grasp of character and vivid narrative in his lyrics.

As with all of Felice’s work – his literary output included – there’s no attempt to hide the boundaries of emotion but it’s much less heart-on-sleeve than with his other band The Duke & the King. Whether this is due to a renewed introspection since the 2010 open heart surgery that nearly took his life is anyone’s guess but themes of mortality pervade, above all and hint at what we know will be a truly remarkable record.

Felice plays Bush Hall on 27 April and the self-titled long player drops via Reveal Records on 2 April. Listen to ‘New York Times’ below and then check out a special live acoustic video of the song, performed in a train car on the abandoned Kingston-Arkville Line, near Felice’s home.