Title: “Lowlife”
Artist: Jack Dunn
From: TBA (2024)
Release Date: January 20, 2024
Format: CD Single, 7” Single, Digital Download, Weekly Airplay, Worldwide Streaming, Cassette
Recorded: Head South Recording Studios, Brighton, UK
Genre(s): Alternative Rock, Punk, Singer-Songwriter
Length: 5:24
Label: Head South Records
Written: June 2023
Writer(s): Jack Dunn
Producer(s): Jack Dunn, Quentin McEwen

“Lowlife” is the debut single by English singer-songwriter, ‘Jack Dunn’. The artist was recently signed to the UK based record label ‘Head South Records’ following a live audition back in early October 2023 where the track was first showcased to the live crowd as well as executives of the record label that were present in the audience during that evening. It was made clear on signing with the record label that recording the track in a studio setting would be the immediate priority for Jack Dunn following his signing. This would be placed on high priority ahead of any plans to begin recording his debut album, the thought process was that it would be important to release the track as a debut single which would also serve as an introduction to the artist and would serve as a promo single in order to immediately get the artists name out there as soon as possible, knowing how long and arduous recording a studio album could be. They felt that the track was a perfect representation as to the songwriting intent of Jack Dunn and would be the quickest way to establish a fanbase for the artist that they hope to grow prior to any album or extended release.

Subscribers to ‘Head South Records’ found the track was delivered to their inboxes a week prior to its official release, establishing the labels close connection to its growing fanbase. The pre-release offering included both the studio version of the track and the live version of the track that was recorded at Head South Café during his audition for the label. The track was written by Jack Dunn and produced by Dunn, alongside label executive Quentin McEwen and recorded at the Head South Recording Studios in Brighton, UK. It’s set to be released on January 20, 2024 as a CD Single, 7” Single, Digital Download, Weekly Airplay, Worldwide Streaming and Cassette Single which all included the studio release as well as the live version.

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Background

In the official notes included in the email exclusive release to subscribers to ‘Head South Records’, Jack spoke about the track and it’s meaning from the songwriters point of view, he said, “I’m not a well-spoken man, you’re not going to get deep intellect from me. But what you will get is a view of who I am and where I come from in my music. Some taken specifically from my own perspective and some taken from the people that I’ve known and surrounded myself with for my entire life. I’ve always been someone that speaks before I think and I can’t make apologies for that, I’m also someone that has been known to voice my opinions however uneducated they may be. I still somehow have faith that things can be good and that we regular people can be the ones to do that good. Not those in charge. I think of all the songs that I’ve written in my life up until this point, this is the one song that encapsulates completely who the fuck I am, where I’ve come from and how I’ve felt my entire life. People have always said I walk around with a chip on my shoulder and they’re completely correct. But I wear that chip on my shoulder with pride. Pride in who I am despite the paths that could have been so much easier for me to go down. Pride in the way that I treat people of all walks of life and circumstances when that same respect and understanding hasn’t been afforded to myself much at all and pride in where I come from and the struggles that myself and everybody else around me has faced and still keep our chin up. So I know not many of you know who I am, but I’d like to think that this track will go some way in showing you a little of myself.”

The track begins with a heavy repetitive drum beat, sounding loud and stuttered which immediately dictates the pace of the song before the sound of the strings on the electric guitar being struck in a downward motion three times in a row which adds a little added pace and urgency to the track but still maintains itself as a slower song, the vocals are delivered clearly in his own northern accent, he delivers his vocals with a dour sounding tone as he tells the story of a young boy growing up and being looked down on by society, “Growing up around these parts, there’s fuck all for us to do/Council houses and council parks/Where they’ve let the grass grow too long to even walk through/So we get grief from the fuzz/For kicking a Football against a garage wall/Some stuck up prick that thinks he’s better than this/Calls it anti-social/And he’s reported us all.” which immediately indicate the tone of the song as one of a young person rallying against the negativity of the world around him and being looked down on as a threat purely because he’s young.

The pre-chorus and chorus combination begins with a repetitive chord sequence plucked on an electric guitar giving it a simplistic sound, the sound of echo plays an important part in the track from its opening right the way through to give the song a down-beaten and eerie sound as he continues the message of the song into its pre-chorus ”Whey, haven’t you got nowt better to do/With your sad little life/We’re just trying to make some fucking fun around here/Cause we’ve seen how nobody gets out alive.” and it’s chorus, “And they all think I’m just a lowlife/Because I talk with an accent/And I wasn’t brought up with a silver spoon/And I always tried my best to be polite, always tried my best to stay in school/And they all think I’m just a lowlife/Because I talk with an accent/And I wasn’t brought up with a silver spoon/And I always tried my best to be polite, always tried my best to stay in school.” and the combination of pre-chorus and chorus is repeated quite often throughout the track.

We are given the taste of another verse towards the end of the track which continues to add elements and specifics to the story which flesh out the entire arc of the track and make it feel very fully formed as a whole story, the music continues at its slightly slow pace throughout but the pacing of the track and instrumentation add to the feeling of being told a story rather than just the feeling of listening to another radio song, “Honestly, it’s fucking grim around here/You get forgotten about and you just get pushed aside/Those tory cunts know they’re never going to be getting your vote/So they might occasionally toss you a breadcrumb/Just to keep you alive/But when the wolf is at your door/Just like the rest of us/You can barely survive/Yeah, just like the fucking rest of us/You can barely survive.” and highlights his own opinions on how the working class of his own country are treated and often forgotten about in the eyes their government. His wording is specifically sharp and aggressive as well as his delivery and it just adds to the dour emotion of the song. But his feeling of defiance does shine through in the final pre-chorus and chorus combination as the idea of just trying to make a little fun for yourself because you know that you’ll be ignored and forgotten about seems to take on a different feeling towards the end of the song, knowing what’s been said in the verses prior.

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“Lowlife”

“Growing up around these parts, there’s fuck all for us to do
Council houses and council parks
Where they’ve let the grass grow too long to even walk through
So we get grief from the fuzz
For kicking a Football against a garage wall
Some stuck up prick that thinks he’s better than this
Calls it anti-social
And he’s reported us all

Whey, haven’t you got nowt better to do
With your sad little life
We’re just trying to make some fucking fun around here
Cause we’ve seen how nobody gets out alive

Whey, haven’t you got nowt better to do
With your sad little life
We’re just trying to make some fucking fun around here
Cause we’ve seen how nobody gets out alive

And they all think I’m just a lowlife
Because I talk with an accent
And I wasn’t brought up with a silver spoon
And I always tried my best to be polite, always tried my best to stay in school
And they all think I’m just a lowlife
Because I talk with an accent
And I wasn’t brought up with a silver spoon
And I always tried my best to be polite, always tried my best to stay in school

Whey, haven’t you got nowt better to do
With your sad little life
We’re just trying to make some fucking fun around here
Cause we’ve seen how nobody gets out alive

Whey, haven’t you got nowt better to do
With your sad little life
We’re just trying to make some fucking fun around here
Cause we’ve seen how nobody gets out alive

Honestly, it’s fucking grim around here
You get forgotten about and you just get pushed aside
Those tory cunts know they’re never going to be getting your vote
So they might occasionally toss you a breadcrumb
Just to keep you alive
But when the wolf is at your door
Just like the rest of us
You can barely survive
Yeah, just like the fucking rest of us
You can barely survive

Whey, haven’t you got nowt better to do
With your sad little life
We’re just trying to make some fucking fun around here
Cause we’ve seen how nobody gets out alive

And they all think I’m just a lowlife
Because I talk with an accent
And I wasn’t brought up with a silver spoon
And I always tried my best to be polite, always tried my best to stay in school
And they all think I’m just a lowlife
Because I talk with an accent
And I wasn’t brought up with a silver spoon
And I always tried my best to be polite, always tried my best to stay in school

Whey, haven’t you got nowt better to do
With your sad little life
We’re just trying to make some fucking fun around here
Cause we’ve seen how nobody gets out alive”

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Credits & Personnel;

CREDITS

Produced by Jack Dunn, Quentin McEwen
Engineered by Lewis Richardson
Mixed by Jack Dunn, Quentin McEwen, Charlie Willis
Recorded at Head South Recording Studios, Brighton, England, UK

PERSONNEL

Jack Dunn – vocals, lead guitar, lyrics, composition, production, mixing
Ryan Hardy – bass guitar, composition
Andy Wilbur-Jones – drums, percussion, composition
Cherrie Williams – synthesizer, keyboards, backing vocals, composition
Lewis Richardson – engineering
Charlie Willis – mixing
Quentin McEwen – production, mixing, production management