Hartlepool’s finest songwriter, James Leonard Hewitson first came to our attention at the back end of last year with excellent single, The Screen. This week he is set to continue his exploration of the single format, with a new double A-side, Sometimes/Experience Song, which we’re premiering here today.

Set to a musical backing pitched between the poppy melodies of Terry and the driving jangle of Teenage Fanclub, Sometimes is an exploration of love in the times of societal pressures. James has attempted to mirror the contrasts between his professional achievements and his personal struggles, as he explains, “I’ve tried to show a contrast in every day emotions in an incredibly played down way, by literally denoting them. This is all blanketed with a mundane and repetitive chord structure, which intends to represent (my) reality”.

Experience Song is equally an exploration of modern living, as he explains it is, “about haphazardly applying for jobs on Linkedin, failing, feeling confused, and ultimately, getting over it by doing something fun i.e. write a song about it”. The resulting song sounds like The Goon Sax covering The Beatles, which is obviously brilliant.

James openly admits this release concludes, “a year of sporadic recording”, which he will follow with a more cohesive next musical step, but even in this stand alone piece, James’ talent has no trouble shining through…apart from possibly in job interviews.

Sometimes/Experience Song is out August 4th. Click HERE for more information on James Leonard Hewitson.