Bristol based instrumental progressive-jazz collective Al Swainger’s Pointless Beauty return with their moving new single ‘The Shrug’ taken from their upcoming album ‘Hearts Full Of Grace’.
Led by composer, producer, digital artist and multi-instrumentalist Al Swainger, the five piece band have mastered an intriguing mix of Electronic, Chillout and jazz to create a strikingly unique, multifaceted sound.
While they’ve made a name for their experimental jazz sound, the first single to be taken from the new album ‘The Shrug’ sees the band lean towards their jazz roots with a traditional track built around live instrumentation. Gently rolling drums, grounding bass and atmospheric piano build a soft, pillowy backing under delicate and thoughtful lead brass and guitar performances creating a melancholic, contemplative listen.
Speaking about the single, Swainger explains: “The Shrug is a gospel jazz ballad representing how sometimes we can only have non-verbal responses to trauma. Sometimes we’re just so sad that when someone asks a well intentioned ‘how are you doing?’ all you can do is shrug, I wanted it to communicate that melancholy but also the optimism that it doesn’t last forever and things do get better.”
‘The Shrug’ is out now via Other Compass Records.
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