Jake Bugg surprised fans recently when he performed a rare full band live session where he performed a rocked up cover of Post Malone’s ‘Circles.’ The performance, which was uploaded to the singer’s Youtube channel, featured the American rapper’s song sung in the Nottingham born singer’s distinctive voice, with his trademark respect for classic rock & roll, country and blues.
With a three years now having passed since Jake Bugg’s last album release, ‘Hearts That Strain,’ fans will likely be excited to see new content from the man who brought them ‘Lightning Bolt,’ and looking for any potential clues which may point to a new album in the works. While this month’s cover of ‘Circles,’ seems to point in the direction of more band-like material as opposed to Bugg’s usual acoustic style, he has also released several singles through 2019 and 2020 which have kept fans guessing about what a potential new album might sound like.
The cover of a song by Post Malone, someone that wouldn’t necessarily be automatically associated with Jake Bugg, may an insight into the music that the singer is listening to right now. Post Malone himself has been known to perform a number of cover versions of some of the music which has inspired him, some of it not entirely expected, including grunge band Nirvana. However, while it may be true that Bugg has spent some time exploring some other musical forms in the time between albums, a listen to any of his recent singles is enough to realise that his rock and roll roots are still firmly in place.
While it is possible to hear echoes of much of the popular music in the past couple of decades in singles like ‘Rabbit Hole,’ with fellow Northerner’s Arctic Monkey’s most obvious on this track, the foundations of Jake Bugg’s sound is still deeply classic rock and roll, country and blues that inspire him. In fact, the title track from 2016’s ‘On My One,’ so deeply rooted in the blues that you’d more likely expect to hear something of its like somewhere near the Mississippi Delta rather than in Bugg’s homeland of Nottinghamshire.
Despite his evident love of the old roots of rock and roll, Jake Bugg is still young and it is clear that the modern pop sensibility is not lost on him, with his more traditional numbers often blended or seated alongside more modern sounds. 2020’s ‘All I Need,’ is surely his most modern single yet, with lead lines which wouldn’t sound out of place at the top of the charts complementing his distinctive voice and bass lines which move in unison.
There is certainly much of this year’s chart toppers to be heard in ‘All I Need,’ blended with the soulfulness which Bugg exudes without effort, suggesting a next album which may be the most exciting and contemporary sounding yet. While debut album ‘Jake Bugg,’ pleased listeners with its retro style and Johnny Cash inspired sound, all the signs are pointing to something much more modern in his next release, and it looks to be something very exiting indeed.
