❉ An electro-ballad with a cinematic vibe, which deals with the most timeless of traditions: heartbreak.
“The music is influenced by the analogue synth soundscapes of the early eighties and it evokes the contradictory nature of the restlessness and romance of international travel. The track aims to capture the cinematic loneliness of modern life coupled with the deceptive seductiveness of the photographed image. In this advanced age of technological developments, not everything you see, is as first it seems.”
Steven Jones and Logan Sky are about to release their latest song Lovers and Losers on 5 February as a 5-track single on the Etrangers Musique label. The track is an electro-ballad with a cinematic vibe, which lyrically deals with the most timeless of traditions, heartbreak. Lovers and Losers tackles the themes of romantic strategy, severed attachments and ambiguous emotions, ultimately resulting in the fatalism of a doomed romance against the background of the current global fracture.
During the numerous lockdowns we have all experienced through this past twelve months, heartbreak in its various guises has risen to the surface in all our relationships. Heartbreak through not seeing loved ones, lack of touch and social interaction has affected us all in a number of ways. Lovers and Losers explores these feelings to a sombre, respectful electro treatment and in that regard is highly relatable to us all.
Logan Sky said, “We aimed to capture unique European emotions; coldness, fracture and dislocation. In particular I was aiming to make a classic pop ballad that would captivate right from the intro.”
The duo were introduced to each other by their mutual friend Steve Strange, club manager, social and fashion icon, plus lead singer of the pioneering eighties band Visage, when they collaborated with New York vocalist Donna Destri (Blondie, Ramones, Klaus Nomi) on the Strange Magic EP in September 2014. Since that time they have produced a number of tracks both as a duo, or with collaborators such as Man Parrish with who they covered Tainted Love. They have worked as solo artists as well as a duo.
Steve Strange’s untimely death in early 2015, and the duo’s performance at his funeral, radically altered and solidified their partnership. Furthermore, Steven and Logan also performed at events as a part of a commemorative line-up as a tribute to Steve Strange and his artistic impact on pop culture, sharing the stage with Heaven 17, Boy George, Kim Wilde, Nick Kershaw, China Crisis and Daphne Guinness.
The music is influenced by the analogue synth soundscapes of the early eighties and it evokes the contradictory nature of the restlessness and romance of international travel. The track aims to capture the cinematic loneliness of modern life coupled with the deceptive seductiveness of the photographed image. In this advanced age of technological developments, not everything you see is as first it seems.
Following the success of their previous release Sons of Hallucination featuring Gary Barnacle on alto saxophone, Gary returns once more on Lovers & Losers. Gary Barnacle is a well-seasoned saxophonist having contributed to many a Soft Cell track back in the early 1980s and also as a member of Visage and Leisure Process. Additionally, Gary has worked with a number of impressively prolific names across the decades including Kim Wilde, Soul II Soul, Tina Turner, David Bowie, Pet Shop Boys, Paul McCartney and Jamiroquai.
Lovers & Losers also features interesting instrumentation courtesy of the zhongruan and e-bow guitar from Jan Linton, known for his collaborations with Richard Barbieri (Japan), John Taylor (Duran Duran), Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno) and Matthew Seligman (David Bowie).
The song is taken from their forthcoming album European Lovers which is planned for release on CD in March 2021.
❉ ‘Lovers and Losers’ by Steven Jones and Logan Sky releases February 5, 2021 on Bandcamp and then will be released on all digital platforms three days later.
❉ Ange Chan is a freelance writer having published six volumes of poetry and two novels of contemporary fiction. She was also a prolific contributor to the David Bowie charity anthology Me and the Starman, (now available by Cult Ink on Amazon) and is a lifelong lover of music in general and synth/electronic music in particular. She was first published in the music press in the 1980s and hasn’t stopped writing, or listening, since. As well as being a frequent and prolific contributor to We Are Cult, she is also working on a long-standing project of her third novel Champagne Flutes and Pixie Boots which she wonders will ever get finished.
