The Screens
The Screens are duo, Neil and Colin. They have a long background in creating and producing music for TV shows and films. This project is their opportunity to have the “creative freedom” to make their own music and share it with the world. They don’t let the fact they live thousands of miles apart impact their ability to create their music.
They are currently in the process of recording a debut album for release in 2018
Colin : “When we wrote (first single) “Avalanche” we discovered our sound for this album. We’d written lots of songs that we liked but it wasn’t until we finished Avalanche that we discovered what The Screens were about. We found our style and it created the entire backdrop for the album we are currently finishing”.
Neil : “Our film music background was something we subconsciously were avoiding. A lot of what we were writing was relevant to other artists and what the market is into at the moment but it never sat well with us. When we wrote “Avalanche” it was our eureka moment. Within days of finishing it we had another 5 songs written and we were desperate to get back into the studio to get them down”.
Jennifer Jones (Paintbox Records)
The Screens second single “Jennifer Jones” is released on Friday 13th October. Strangely appropriate for the song…
On first listen Jennifer Jones has a driving guitar intro not dis-similar to London Calling. The multi-layered instrumentation then builds and what you get is a vast sophisticated orchestral-like soundscape.
The lyrics are passionately delivered and on first listen they appear to tell an effervescent story of love lost.
However, watch the video in conjunction with the song and you completely re-assess the lyrics. The message behind the song is much bleaker than it first appears. I won’t give it away – watch it.
Think 90’s ostentatious alt-pop from bands like Rialto and My Life Story and you wont be far from the mark. The music has a radiance & lustre to it but with a twist giving it a dark side making it a much more compelling offering.
“Jennifer Jones” is a toxic blend of flambuoyant and theatrical pop whilst tipping it hat to 60’s and 70’s film and TV characterisation.
It’s infectious and memorable yet still resonates with the darker elements of The Screens that were abundant in their first single.
Go to iTunes/or Amazon to purchase The Screens releases or stream on Spotify from 13th October.
The Video
Colin : “It’s fantastic to make an record when you really don’t care how it’s perceived commercially.
We’re in an enviable position where we don’t have an A&R man or marketing executive telling us what we should be producing. That extends further into how we produce our videos”.
Neil : “Were we signed to a major label there is no way we would have been given the funding to make the video we made for Jennifer Jones. I’ve worked for a major label and there’s no way we’d allow a video featuring sex, drug taking and overdosing to be made with a mainstream act.
We’ve not done it for any other reason apart from the fact it is what the song is about. A story of a girl who falls helplessly in love with a guy who manipulates her mind and destroys her independence.
There’s no way of telling this story any other way. It had to be dark.”
Website and contact details
The rest of 2017 will be incredibly busy for The Screens, between promoting Jennifer Jones, finishing off the album and working on the video for their third single.