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Hear Spectrals’ Power-Pop Triumph ‘A Heartbeat Behind’

Spectrals 'A Heartbeat Behind' Sob Story

When the Spectrals began, the project was simply Louis Jones, an English fella with a knack for wry lyrics and stripped-down power-pop. But Spectrals have grown since. Not so much in membership (Jones’ brother Will plays drums), but in other more important ways. On 2011’s Bad Penny, the vocals were in the background and the jams were fuzzed up. But for Sob Story, due June 18 on Slumberland Records, the Jonses caught up with former Girls guy Chet “JR” White, who recorded and produced the 12-song set with a little help from his San Francisco friends. Below you’ll hear “A Heartbeat Behind,” a cooly spit-shined single that features rollicking guitar riffs and snapping drums. “I made such hard work of getting you, love became a hobby too,” Jones sings before ending on an up-note: “I’m in no way badly done to / After all, I have you.”

A few thoughts on “A Heartbeat Behind” from Jones himself:

“Another rocker this one, I was really influenced by Dave Edmunds’ guitar playing this time ’round and was trying to cop some of those country and rockabilly licks he does, especially on the Rockpile record Seconds Of Pleasure, which is a big record for me. He seems to like to mimic the pedal steel guitar. This was the last song I put together for the record and it pushed out a few I’d already got bored of. I finished it the day before we left for San Francisco. I’d had the riff for ages but it never felt like a proper song and then the chorus just seemed to hit me that afternoon — chords, lyrics, the lot. I never write like that really. I usually stew over the lyrics for ages then try and bolt them onto various sets of chords I have. I do remember I’d been listening to a lot of Big Star that week.”

Spectrals, Sob Story track list:

1. “Let Me Cave In”
2. “A Heartbeat Behind”
3. “Karaoke”
4. “Sob Story”
5. “Milky Way”
6. “Friend Zone”
7. “Limousine”
8. “Something To Cry About”
9. “Blue Whatever”
10. “Keep Your Magic Out Of My House”
11. “Gentle”
12. “In A Bad Way”