An immersive single from West Country, England-based act What’s the New Mary Jane, “A Piece of Fruit Will Set You Free” achieves a laid-back rock introspection, conjuring shades of Television and Felt. The track anchors its observational lyricism to an acoustic foundation, swelling into a rich, layered arrangement with second-half strings and keys.
Hazy acoustic strums and steady percussion craft a hypnotic sense of introspection, driving into a suavely impactful vocal delivery, with tonal shades of Tom Verlaine. “Remember to take the roses, they clutter up this home,” they beckon, with the ensuing “we don’t need no TVs” sequence enamoring in its multi-layered vocal approach, culminating in a title-touting “a piece of fruit will set you free” proclamation. A state of displacement — “I haven’t got any money, I haven’t got a home” — intermixes with somber reflections on “you used to call me every day, you used to call me sweetheart,” overall establishing a period of personal tumult and forlorn self-analysis.
The infusion of mellow keys and heartfelt strings envelops across the production’s second half, arriving into another “we don’t need no TVs” layered slacker-rock vocal entrancement. An intriguing mixture of droning effects and bird-chirping melds with the keys for a vibe-y, atmospheric send-off, putting a bow on a stellar, memorable single from What’s the New Mary Jane.
The track comes via the newly released album Do Not Switch Off, streaming below:
—
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
