Alutepena Hughes-John – I Told You So (2024)
Inspired by humanity and reality in its totality – from the bright moments of joy to the grungy decay and desperation – Alutepena Hughes-John shares her introspective, tender and soul-stirring melodies with the masses. A bold, confident artist with a voice to match, she began dabbling in music at a young age, but the smouldering embers of her passionate love of music flared into ferocious flames as a vocalist for her band Anthropic… the rest is history. As a solo artist, Hughes-John intoxicates listeners and wins souls with big smiles and cheeky winks. The latest addition to her discography is the single ‘I Told You So’.
Following her critically acclaimed single ‘Platonic’, ‘I Told You So’ shifts from two-tone ska sounds to a stronger pop style. While a slip to indie-pop is noticed, the obscurity of Hughes-John’s distinctive sound remains. Similar to The Dresden Dolls’ Amanda Palmer, an off-kilter oddness flows from Hughes-John’s avant-garde vocals. Interestingly, while the vocals bring discomfort to the song with distorted disharmony and off-balance eeriness, a strange sense of contentedness and smile-inducing soothing lingers.
Produced and mixed at The Lodge Recording Studio by Max Read, who happens to play the guitar, bass and keyboards on the single, ‘I Told You So’ has a distinct splicing or separation in the layered instruments versus Hughes-John’s voice. Hughes-John at the fore with Read’s guitar, bass and keyboards, Karl Thompson’s drums, Peter Voronov’s violins and Hughes-John’s ukelele sitting in the background creating a kaleidoscopic symphony in its whisper.
Profound and intricate with a precise complexity, ‘I Told You So’ is an intriguing melody; however, its theme increases the poignancy. Hughes-John explains:
“…the events that led me to write this song were written having gone through a betrayal by not one but two people. One more cunning than the other, secret meetings with others that I trusted, and their treachery came to light when I pretended not to be in earshot…”
In addition to the single, Hughes-John released an official music video for ‘I Told You So’. You can view the video below or on her YouTube channel. Please note that this video uses lighting effects that can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.
VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED
Find out more about Alutepena Hughes-John on her official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
Listen to new indie-pop tunes on The Other Side Reviews Indie Pop playlist:
