This year we have featured S J Denney for the polished and emotive, All I’ve Ever Known and the introspective and profound, A Silent Scream, so we couldn’t wait to hear the rising artist’s latest single, I Don’t Know If This Changes Things?.
Immersing us with a percussive riff and bright yet playful keys with baritone guitar, S J Denney opens I Don’t Know If This Changes Things? with the wise and conceptual lyrics, “Go slowly on an open road, I’ll meet you by the orange grove, if you see me running, then I’m chasing something here, you’ll recognise my skies of blue…”
We love the soundscape that S J Denney has created, which fits cohesively with the artwork for the single by Colin Margison, showing orange trees in an expansive blue skied environment with a bright green hill and pathway.
The opus evolves with luscious harmonies provided by Roisin O’Hagan, which add dimensionality and a super emotive energy as the pair sing their souls and ponder life and the human condition with the hook of the song.
The muted trumpet, flugelhorn and koto performances are transcendental and take us to another plane as we are immersed in the intricacy of the performances. Fans of The Beatles will definitely be able to connect with I Don’t Know If This Changes Things?.
Speaking on his creative process, S J Denney confesses, “Unusually for me, I’d had the chords for the verses kicking around for years, but they just never found a home. In the summer of 2021, I revisited the sequence and this time the song came to life very quickly. If I analyse the lyrics, I think it’s about someone who is always looking for the next opportunity.”
We have added I Don’t Know If This Changes Things? to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we continue to stream S J Denney‘s wider discography including A Silent Scream and On Any Other Day.