James Deacon - Season One (2020)

It was around about this time last year that the TATC team pegged James Deacon as “One To Watch” in our Best of 2019: Indie Newcomers.

A year on, vocal cord surgery, and two solid EPs later, the Joburg-based edgy pop artist is not only finding his feet, he is smashing it – more specifically: smashing mason jars out of the forest with a so-called ‘post-apocalyptic bat’.

Today, James Deacon drops a scintillating album-video combo: His debut body of work titled Season One with music video for single “Revenant”.

The album sees five brand new tracks added to the track list including James Deacon’s collab with creative Eric T Graham for the visual ‘snarl’ behind the lead single off the album, “The Revenant”.

“We specifically stencilled seven words of critique that both James and I have received individually unto multiple glass vases representing the admission of bad critique and harsh opinions. Instead of fleeing from it, James accepts it and fights it off with a DIY post-apocalyptic bat,” says Graham.

The 17-track body of work is an assertive, in-your-face blend of soulful rock and dirty swagger symbolising two solid middle fingers to conformity as Deacon continues to blaze an authentic career path.

“In a world that feels like it’s on the brink of total collapse, I can’t help feel like it’s time to look inward and focus on building a better future. […] I use my music to inspire the change I want to see in myself and the world around me. When the ground is burnt, it leaves space for regrowth and allows new life to flourish. So this song is not about rising up despite the devastation, it’s about using the burnt ground as the foundation for a better future.” James explains and it’s pretty on the nose.~Written by Catherine Del Monte