Listen: Farewell J.R – “Skin Pieces”

Following a successful stint as part of Communion Music’s 2014 ‘New Faces’ tour, “Skin Pieces” is the first single released from the forthcoming And Still… EP by Cambridge’s premiere alt-folk alumni, Farewell J.R.

“Skin Pieces” is almost an exercise in how to perfectly align a mesmerising arrangement that swells and recedes intermittently over the course of a few minutes, completed by delicate, heartbreaking vocals.

An expert in taking loneliness in the simplest form and cultivating it into something heartfelt and intoxicating (as shown to near-perfection on 2013′s Health EP), “Skin Pieces” finds Farewell J.R yearning a support system in the form of what becomes a stirring backing arrangement, proving that perhaps there is some truth in the saying that misery loves company.

During the moments of quiet, piano-led serenity, Farewell J.R frontrunner Nick Rayner sighs, with a sense of defeat, that “You can have all of me”, before the momentum and strings build into a haunting, almost orchestral culmination.

“Skin Pieces” is an example of modern, dramatic folk perfection to disappear into, which seamlessly ties together feelings of calm, melancholy and intense yearning.

And Still… is released via Talking Shop Records on 21 April.

Words: Rebecca Jayne Higgins