Trevor Drury’s new single “Chapter 4” starts in a way certain to make you sit up and take notice. This example of Drury’s songwriting chops will be included on his pending multi-track release ALICE it’s all in your head; despite being part of a larger collection, “Chapter 4” stands on its own however and finds this well-raveled one time model turned singer/songwriter setting a new standard for his already top notch discography. He’s made tremendous strides since his 2016 debut and, at 23 years old, boasts a level of all-around talent dwarfing many young and modern performers.
URL: www.officialtrevordrury.com/music
I appreciate how well Drury balances straight-forward songwriting developments alongside a sense of risk taking too often missing in young artists; particularly those working in this genre. He never settles for giving his audience what they expect; the opening mentioned in the review’s first sentence takes us into a personal landscape with its head-spinning sound. The near ominous tone is surprising. Once you take in the lyrics, it becomes clear Drury’s efforts in the song’s first half are aimed towards invoking a mood of loss, even torment. There is no obvious comfort for Drury’s speaker; a relationship has ended, but thoughts of better days prey along the edges.
The comfort comes from emotional release. Drury’s voice deepens its involvement in the song as it unwinds – many will hear a growing investment in conveying sensitivity and heartache in order to match the song’s arrangement. Any quirky musical touches are subsumed by the quasi-grandeur the cut adopts as it plays on. The gradual addition of keyboards, drums, and cinematic peaks reshapes the track into high brow pop rather than the artsy slant it pushes in its early passages.
Those familiar with Drury’s work to date will appreciate how his continuing stylishness. If there is such a thing as performers and musicians who, while working within a tradition, nonetheless possess a signature touch distinguishing their work, Drury has it. Newcomers will be impressed with the ease he shows revamping time-tested subject matter in his own way. “Chapter 4” is the complete entertainment package – you don’t feel like your feasting on musical junk food hearing it, it draws you into a vivid aural experience, and Trevor Drury’s undeniable charisma burns bright.
YOU TUBE: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh2Tp681G5M
It is little wonder he has toured both the UK and Japan at such a tender age – this is music that transcends languages and borders. Drury’s music is “ready for prime time” and isn’t likely to linger much longer in the comparative hinterlands of indie pop. The accessibility of his performances is key but they wouldn’t have the lasting impact they do if they didn’t somehow embody his character and/or spirit. Trevor Drury’s “Chapter 4” does that without ever straining for effect and will give many newcomers the jolt of hearing something great for the first time. It is an increasingly rare gift in our modern music world and Trevor Drury delivers it with the seeming effortlessness of someone born to follow this path. It makes “Chapter 4” entertaining and intensely human from the first.
Clay Burton