The Glasgow band De Rosa has regrouped many times over the years, but have recently settled in a new trio formation. And this new collaboration, Jewel Scheme, may have just hit the jackpot with their debut single ‘Spectral Index’, released on the 28th of June.
The track opens with wave sonics and a faint synthetic yet eerily life-like humming before introducing a gorgeous foundational piano part and Martin Henry’s voice that has a Bono-like quality. In this sense, along with the slow but steady progression of the song, the tune immediately reminded me of ‘With or Without You’; the combination of Henry’s voice and the instrumentals also recalled Coldplay hits like ‘Yellow’. The song picks up with the addition of drums which, in collaboration with the piano, make for an incredibly captivating sound. These instrumentals are thanks to Chris Connick and Allan Carroll alongside Andy Miller’s mastering.
The band described the song as ‘an ode to the past and a celebration of change… Henry’s accented vocals singing of human connection across time and space.’ Lighter, yet harvesting a richer overall sound than De Rosa’s previous work, the single truly does intend to return to a place and time, forcing you to consider your own existence across these planes. With slightly existential lyrics like You begin to feel it happening to you / You can see it in the air / Can you feel yourself evolving with the spirals in the air / We’re all gone / All experience now / We’re all young, Jewel Scheme is making an offering for an almost out of body, spiritual experience, reflected in their abstract music video. Check out this exciting old-yet-new band’s first step in a refreshing adventure.