If there was ever to be a definitive voice to the indie music scene, Jamie T would surely be number 1 contender. Creating waves of critical acclaim from his Mercury Prize nominated debut 'Panic Prevention' back in 2007, the Wimbledon born artist kicked off a genre defying sound that is yet to be replicated, and probably never will be. The embodiment of our youth culture, his music sound-tracked the biggest coming of age era for teens across the country as his angsty lyrics and raw sound became second nature to the boozing on street corners, experimenting in drugs and feeling resent towards your shitty ex-girlfriend's.

A lot has changed over the years. Probably the biggest one being Jamie now turning 30 and likely not relating to that lifestyle nearly half as much as before. 'Trick', then, might be Jamie Treays' most ambitious effort yet. Not a million miles away from previous work, yet with a whole new concept and mature sound in tow it brings together nearly a decade of advancement in songwriting stylistics. From the record's heavy opener Tinfoil Boy, drudging through the depths of his punk inspired roots through to recent single Power Over Men, the album becomes his biggest mix of genre's yet as he jumps from hip hop beats to trashy hardcore punk inspired melodies in the drop of a hat.

A quintessential look in to the mundane British lifestyle has always been at the heart of everything Jamie does and he's no stranger to it here opting for track titles such as Tescoland and delivering lyrically complexed face-melting anthems such as Police Tapes. Don't be fooled though, there's still moments where the pop sensibilities from his early work shine through in even brighter premise than ever before - Joan of Arc being a favourite. "It's funny how you never give a fuck with you're 20" "Spend most of our time now counting back from 30" utters Treays. A display of the introspective attitude the record holds.

Taking things down a notch with the emotionally led single Sign of the Times, his stripped back sound takes the lead as the bare bones of Jamie's lyrically raw sound unravels with just his scuzzy guitar forming the backdrop to a tale of destruction; a beautiful ode the scene that once made him and now its sorrowful state with the closure of venues and a self reflecting outlook as he sings "I wish I'd been a little more exceptional".

The contemplative degree throughout 'Trick' is a hard image to shake off. It's what gives it its strong nostalgic kick as we're all forced to focus on past memories and face our lost cultures head-on. It's always been about the love-hate relationship with the streets yet Jamie's broadening horizon has allowed the record to breath life and cover such a wide array of subject matters, it might just be his most diverse record yet - one that evolves and becomes richer with each and every listen.

Jamie T's fourth studio album 'Trick' will be released September 2nd 2016 through Virgin EMI. It's available for pre-order here.




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