It has been almost four years since Newcastle-upon-Tyne musician Jodie Nicholson first appeared on BlackPlastic.co.uk with Move, a sophisticated, dark piece of progressive pop.
Since then, we have also heard from Jodie with her single Why Would You (Go), a song with the drama of far off thunderstorms. The fact that even this song is now almost three-years-old breaks my brain a little. Jodie’s music has stuck with me in a way that means I find myself often coming back to it, and I had no concept of how much time had passed since first hearing of her.
The good news is that she is back with not just a new single, but a whole album. Entitled Safe Hands, the new album opens with this latest single, You Wanted This, making it the perfect (re-)introduction to Jodie’s sound and latest vision.
With gentle-yet-insistent piano chords and a hushed vocal, Nicholson’s latest song unfurls slowly before these initial elements are joined by slow, considered synths and a dubby, heavy four-four beat. Jodie’s vocals take on a filtered effect, creating the intimate feeling of a voice note left on your phone, but also providing remarkable contrast as she opens up on the bridge. As ever, the effect is astounding, both cinematic, and remarkably restrained.
Those hushed vocals are perhaps intended to be the sort of memo you record for yourself, with You Wanted This being a song about the complex feelings Nicholson has about being a musician. The song is an overt reminder of the drive that led Nicholson to make music in the first place, as she describes:
“To me, You Wanted This is about remembering why I fell in love with music in the first place. As a kid, I was obsessed with Avril Lavigne, wished I was one of Roger Waters’ backing vocalists, always searching for cool music that no-one else was listening to, wanting to be on (British TV talent show) Stars In Their Eyes and sitting in the back of the car pretending I was in a music video, singing all moody through the window… It’s thinking back to how I viewed music then and regaining that child-like excitement for the music I make now as an artist. I’d like to think that if I ever have a wobble, this track will serve as a personal reminder of why I love being an artist and what I can be capable of. Unintentional, but it’s a pretty nice feeling.”
You Wanted This is out now, and will be followed by the album, Safe Hands, via Quiet Crown / Absolute on 10 May 2024. You can also see Jodie live in the UK in May and June, with tickets available here:
18 MAY | Glasshouse ICM, Gateshead
04 JUN | Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds
05 JUN | Lower Third, London
06 JUN | Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham
08 JUN | Crofter's Rights, Bristol
09 JUN | Komedia, Brighton
11 JUN | YES (Basement), Manchester
12 JUN | SWG3 Poetry Club, Glasgow