I have no idea what this song is. An experiment, I suppose. For reasons too complicated to go into here, I found myself stuck at Shortlands station in South East London very early last Sunday morning. It was only for 40 minutes or so, but enough time to jot down some lyrics (including a list of stations on the line). They were pretty unstructured and loose, so I didn't want to impose too much structure on the song itself. Difficult for a verse-chorus-bridge merchant like me!

I used the drum machine on my mini Vox practice amp to write to, and that made me want to make the whole thing a little bit... well, I believe it's what the kids call 'lofi'. So I got out my SM57, which had been gathering dust on a shelf, and mic-ed up the practice amp to record the drum track. And then I thought 'why stop there'? So I recorded an acoustic guitar and all the vocals with the same '57. Not sure I'll be doing it again any time soon, but it was all fun and exciting.

(Tiny point, but I realise that 'blackcaps' sounds a bit like 'black cabs', which may be a tiny bit confusing. I was referencing the Eurasian Blackcap, which my bird call identification app confidently told me were the birds making a racket in the sycamore trees opposite where I was sitting).

LYRICS

Sunday morning
Missed connections
Waiting rooms
And disaffection
Blackcaps calling, calling
In the sycamore trees

Yellow lines
And platform signs
Litter, brambles
Side-by-side
Suburban idyll half-glimpsed
Through the sycamore trees

St Mary Cray, Swanley, Bat and Ball, Otford, Sevenoaks, Shortlands

In Shortlands
Stranded in Shortlands
In Shortlands
Stranded all our lives

Shortlands

A salute to one of our favourite craft breweries, and the warm and welcoming feeling of community and belonging that they help cultivate. A longing to be back home.
Written by Shawn Corey, Jacob Rose, and Jordan Grant.

Wharfbound (feat. Jacob Rose)

Half-British, half-Japanese, South London-based singer-songwriter and producer. Indie pop, rock and blues. Thank you for listening!

The sound of the Beatles going country. McCartney with twang.

New tracks tagged #beatlesesque