Jammerzine Exclusive: An Interview with Maddox Jones

Jammerzine has a double exclusive for you today in the form of an interview and a stripped down live premiere video from the mega talent known as Maddox Jones.

Maddox is a true slow burn of a success story in the music world and someone who has earned every ounce of success and respect he gets and more. As a former member of major label outfit The Departure, Maddox has evolved his music on his own terms and become the artist he wants to be, which you can even say is one he needs to be. An artist must be happy in what they are doing and this is where Maddox is at this point in his career.

This interview really turns into an off-the-cuff conversation that I really enjoyed because we get a true glimpse of Maddox as a person, and that is where the creativity resides.

Check out our other features with Maddox Jones HERE.

‘Somewhere There’s A Plan (Believe It)’ Stripped Back Live Version

And here we get a true gift from Maddox in the form of an exclusive performance of his new song ‘Somewhere There’s A Plan (Believe It)’. Almost a completely different song between this performance and the original (embedded below), what we get here is a deconstruction and a reimage of the song down to its roots, showing off what really works about the song.

Stripping down a track to its essence can be a difficult thing. If you listen to the original version of ‘Somewhere There’s A Plan (Believe It)’, you begin to realize there are quite a few ways this version of the song could have gone. But this is the way it should go in regards to a stripped performance. This shows how the hook works even when brought down to its own core. This also shows how solid the songwriting is. And that’s what its about, isn’t it?

About Maddox Jones

Northampton’s very own claim to fame, Maddox Jones returns with his new single ‘Somewhere There’s A Plan (Believe It)’. Jumping straight from his support slot with Thomas Headon at ReviveLive last week, Maddox Jones brings a level of reassurance to his listeners with this feel-good, future-retro pop song that will loom large inside those much-loved summertime playlists.

As former frontman of The Departure (Parlophone Records) and no stranger to touring with The Killers, Feeder and Placebo, the new pop direction that he now brings harbours a certain snappy groove that shows the versatility and joy he can bring to his music. It has really captured 70-style funk and the uplifting sounds of The Brothers Johnson, Daft Punk and Caribou.

“There’s some uncertainty with things opening up and whether the timing is right for that, maybe this song will bring comfort to someone who’s still waiting to re-engage with the world, that things might be hard right now but they will eventually be ok again. The song also has a playful side, reminding us to find joy in the small things: “Let this melody from my head take you somewhere else instead”.

Written and produced alongside David Crawford over the past year, ‘Somewhere There’s A Plan (Believe It)’ features good friends of Jones who brought a certain level of maturity to the track. Lewis Cardinal sits in on bass and guitar, whilst Christian Pinchbeck (Girlhood) is strapped on the saxophone to spark lift-off. In addition, Louis Souyave (who worked on Jones’ ‘Headspace’ EP) sprinkles his production magic over the tune, elevating it to perfection.

Maddox Jones made his solo debut in 2020 with the synth-heavy electronica of his ‘Headspace’ EP. Well-received as that EP was, Jones is never one to sit still creatively – and he proved the worth of his songwriting nous with 70,000+ Spotify plays of last single “Can’t Wait For The Summer”. With ‘Somewhere There’s A Plan (Believe It)’ ready to go, 2021 is shaping up to be just the tonic for the East Midlands singer-songwriter and his growing army of fans.

Maddox Jones also released a short-film animation to accompany the release directed by Alex Gwyn Davies.

“The video is about escaping the matrix of expectations that most of us seem to end up via school, family, media etc. The typical 9-5 doing something you don’t necessarily care about, living to blow off steam for a couple of days at the weekend and maybe on holiday. Then ultimately, finding a catalyst that can interrupt that and tasting freedom”

With a debut album imminent, his work has been praised far and wide by SPIN, American Songwriter, the BBC, and many more media outlets across the globe.

Images by Tom Stilgoe.

LINKS:
https://twitter.com/itsmaddoxjones
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https://www.instagram.com/itsmaddoxjones/