Liam Gale, who released the fine album The Lonely Throne with his band the Ponytails in 2015, has a new double single release – ‘Jezebel Blues‘/’Madness & Bravery‘.

Taking influence from Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits, Julie London, David Lynch, Timber Timbre, Laura Marling and Bohren & the Club of Gore, Gale dials into a dark and moody atmosphere – a ghostly folk and bluesy gospel cabaret of sorts. At the same time there’s an exultant and graceful quality to the arrangements, performances and expressive drama of Gale’s music.

The two songs consider the mythological and the mundane, drawing parallels between the exaggerated and understated trials of life: Jezebel Blues is a counterpoint to The Fall of Man, contradicting an old story with tired interpretations into a record of rebellion; Madness & Bravery is an anecdote that intersects romance, regret and loneliness in a lilting slow burn.