Callum Easter - System (2021) [Hi-Res]

Callum Easter has always been a force of nature. The singer and multi-instrumentalist thrives on impulse and spontaneity, balancing that with an impeccable song writing craftsmanship that makes even the more outré moments of his current batch of mutated soul punk/rock ‘n’ roll instantly arresting. New album System was recorded largely alone in his Edinburgh studio, but it bustles with a brash, maximalist vigour, that draws a line under his previous work and charges exhilaratingly forwards - beginning a journey that he describes as a “descent into ordinary madness.”

Easter's love of rock ‘n’ roll has long been baked in – but there’s a new fervour to where he’s taken this source. Now there is an outward fire; a raging – albeit with the sort of wryly humorous delivery only Easter can provide - against the general noise of everyday living and a longing for something else, something more, something that looks you straight in the eye.

System is careful to balance protest with positivity; it’s accentuated on the album’s stirring opener and first single ‘What You Think?’ Which sees Easter urge the listener via his steely growl that “there’s no point crying, what’s the use? No more hiding, what’s the use?” to focus on living and the positive changes we can make as individuals and collectively.