Messy Eater turns one of modern life's quieter problems into something unexpectedly uplifting on 'The lost art of making friends'. As the first single from forthcoming EP 'Blue Sundae', the track looks at loneliness through the lens of distraction, work and a world increasingly mediated by technology; exploring the strange experience of being surrounded by communication tools while still finding genuine friendship difficult to sustain.
Reflective Fender Rhodes chords set an introspective tone at the start, before the song gradually opens into a brighter chorus carried by hip-hop-influenced bass and drums. Jazz saxophone and touches of vocoder add colour without overwhelming the songwriting, helping the track move between melancholy and optimism with real ease.
Inspired by Picasso's Blue Period, Joni Mitchell's 'Blue' and the jazz-sampling spirit of 90s hip-hop, the EP is set to explore loneliness, sadness and loss without surrendering to them entirely. 'The lost art of making friends' provides a strong introduction to that world because it allows sadness and humour, isolation and warmth, to exist in the same space.
Musically, the comparisons to Beck, Gorillaz, A Tribe Called Quest and The Avalanches make sense, particularly in the way Messy Eater combines alternative pop instincts with hip-hop rhythm, jazz colour and an almost collage-like approach to texture.
Following the brighter invention of the 'Comfort Food' EP, this feels like an intriguing change of emotional temperature. 'The lost art of making friends’ may begin in loneliness, but Messy Eater finds something hopeful in the act of admitting you miss people, and makes that yearning sound surprisingly comforting.
Have a listen to 'The lost art of making friends' in the player below.