Description
Label Review.
2020 album also available on Vinyl.
Our Overview.
‘Night Chancers’ is the sixth-studio record from the ever engaging, talented British singer-songwriter Baxter Dury - son of Ian Dury and Betty Rathmell. The new ten-track record was inspired by the sleazy creatures and characters of the night. And we’re happy to report Baxter hasn’t missed a beat, not afraid to evolve as an artist rather than staying in a safe musical sweet spot.
As ever with Dury his lyrics are candid, sometimes bordering on the confessional. ‘Night Chancers’ is another sonic step forward for Baxter. He’s retained his unique sound, yet managed to add more strings to his bow in terms of vocal nuances. It all combines in a work that’s sort of splendidly scuzzy and all we’re certainly not complaining.
Baxter describes this recent delve into darkness as, “a bit Kubrick-y, a psychological journey through the maze bit in The Shining.” He sees the album in a filmic sense with different tracks introducing us to varying characters and blurry-eyed vignettes riffing on real-life, whether taking aim at social media stalkers with ‘I’m Not Your Dog’ or self-satirising on title track ‘Night Chancers’. From thrilling affairs that dissolve into sweaty desperation to the absurd bloggers, fruitlessly clinging to the fag ends of the fashion set (‘Sleep People’), via soiled real life (‘Slum Lord’) and new day, sleep-deprived optimism (‘Daylight’), the record’s finely drawn vignettes are all based on the corners of world Dury has visited.
Again Baxter has turned to his regular collaborators, with The Night Chancers including backing vocalists Madeline Hart, Rose Rose Elinor Dougall and Skinny Girl Diet’s Delilah Holliday. There’s also guitarist and new musical writing partner Shaun Paterson, and Dury’s long-term collaborator and friend, producer Craig Silvey (Arcade Fire, John Grant, Arctic Monkeys) who’s helped create a soundtrack infused with classic disco, Italian pop, ’80s hip hop beats and smart strings that give each micro-narrative a soundtrack that forms a wider mood across the album.
Tracklisting: I’m Not Your Dog / Slumlord / Saliva Hog / Samurai / Sleep People / Carla's Got A Boyfriend / The Night Chancers / Hello, I'm Sorry / Daylight / Say Nothing