Text: Björzh Znchz
By now, the music industry has no longer a structured way of progress and evolution. The current musical proposals are aimed to distant targets; they have in their composition deeper topics and more complex ways of expression. Their songs lean into such personal confessions along with tunes that take us to mood swings so intimate that we sometimes choose to hide them from ourselves.
The musical style called “Baroque Pop” or “Chamber Pop”, composed by orchestral instruments performed by brilliant musicians and very unique voices with a theatrical touch, is quickly taking hold of the current music scene.
The peculiar band The Irrepressibles, led by Jamie McDemortt, is the perfect example. Composed by Jamie McDermott, Anja McCloskey, Ian Tripp, Sarah Kershaw, Jordan Hunt, Andy Harris, Ollie Hipkin, Sophie Li, Apollo, Laura Jay, Peter Mills and Nicole Robson, the band works with a strange look that goes from Burlesque and Cabaret to a dark Circus art.
Their pieces (totally dramatic) are loaded with genuine feeling. McDemortt is the genius behind this grouping. He takes care of the composition, arrangements, production and all the general direction of this project. The band started in 2003, far from any record label, they financed their first EP’s “My Witness”, “Knife Song” and “From the Circus to the Sea” themselves.
Through blogs and digital platforms they would distribute their work; during the first years they kept polishing the pieces and creating the topic for their performances, “We were like a moving musical cabaret” they say. The first opportunity came from the production house of Major Record Label hands, giving them the opportunity to record their first album “Mirror Mirror” under the production of Dimitri Tikovoi (Placebo, Goldfrapp). It’s an album that collects the leader’s first songs as a pianist, being only 19 years old at the time. “Mirror Mirror” received excellent reviews in Europe; the single “In This Shirt” was the one to trigger the success of the album after appearing in several films such as Israel’s “The Lady is Dead” and Spanish “Hoy Tengo Ganas De Ti”, as well as creating the music for several ads. This important projection opened them the door to major holdings and partnerships like the opera “War Sum Up” which led them to an intense tour all across Europe.
Along with their second studio album “Nude”, they got instant success. A record full of strong minimalist sounds. As a single, they choose the great track “Two Men in Love” which video was the subject of big controversy, not because they showed gay couples kissing, but because the YouTube video platform limited the access to adults only. Reaching endless complaints and protests, as well as outpouring of support to the band.
Right after, arrives the first of a trilogy of EP’s called “Nude: Landscapes”, where they start to flirt with electronic beats while keeping the introspective environment and characteristic of their proposal. This year, they released the remaining two EP’s: “Nude: Viscera” and “Nude: Forbidden”, where they bet on the use of standard new wave synthesizers and a kind of grunge composition, allowing more body to their sound.
All the songs are based on biographical, honest facts, without trying to please anybody specifically, which is why they’ve been getting more followers all around the world. Their live show is a stunning visual spectacle; spotlights, shadows, mirrors and lights take the audience to another dimension. The band name comes from their intention of breaking schemes in the industry according to their creator, and they are totally succeeding; The Independent described them as “an act of courage in a world of cowards”. Artists such as Iamamiwhoami, Röyksopp and Hercules & Love Affair have remixed some of their songs; they’ve even included Jamie’s voice on their own tracks, giving it a much greater projection.
The vocal registers with which McDemortt plays are stunning, from faded whispers to accurately tuned high notes, the sound of the strings in the instruments are faithful, as if hey were ethereal choirs: piano, vocals, everything is an orgy of emotions. The heartbreaking lyrics tell us how the author lives between love, passion and madness. The Irrepressibles have come to embellish the music scene both emotionally and instrumentally, reminding us that the feeling when talking, singing and making music for the universal love is the same.
https://www.facebook.com/TheIrrepressibles