Following up on his SAMA-nominated debut album, Repaired, Jack Atlanic dives into some personal considerations on his latest release, Shipwrecked – exploring emotional turbulence through his tried and tested contemporary pop-rock lens.
It’s catchy, boisterous, and synonymous with an energy which perforated the last twenty years of the scene, but there are times where this sound, so astutely held to, feels a little outdated, lacking a progressive punch which will set it head and shoulders above the rest. Simplistic lyricism wraps around driving guitar licks and husky vocals which, while roof raising, don’t push past their own parameters.
That being said, Shipwrecked does take a dive into Atlantic’s candid emotionality, drawing on a wealth of experiences he navigated over the last few years and delivering them with relatable verve. Opener “Thunder” reflects on aging, and how your place in the world shifts as time goes by, the titular track centers – ambiguously – around the collective uncertainty born from the pandemic, while “Forever Young”, a folky Rod Stewart cover, is part reflective ballad, part homage to his daughters.
The rest of the tracks find love as their common centerpiece. Moving from unrequited (“Highest Places”), the need for space within relationship (“Leaving at Midnight”), to a couple of lovestruck letters of adoration (“Ready To Love” and “Hey Pretty Lady”) – before wrapping things up with a deluge of ’80’s disco synth on “Kissed in the Eighties”.
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Feature pic supplied by artist
