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James Righton shares new single ‘Never Give Up On The City’
James Righton, formerly of the Klaxons, has released a new single from his upcoming album Jim, I’m Still Here, and teased an accompanying short film.
The new single, ‘Never Give Up On The City’, follows previous efforts ‘Pause’ and ‘Empty Rooms’, the latter of which was released in April and featured ABBA member Benny Andersson.
‘Never Give Up On The City’ is the latest track to preview Righton’s upcoming album ‘Jim, I’m Still Here’, and will mark Righton’s second solo project to be released under his own name since his 2020 debut album, The Performer.
The single continues Righton’s exploration of Jim, an alter ego he conceived during lockdown who will narrate the album. In a statement about ‘Never Give Up On The City’, Righton cited David Bowie’s 1979 Lodger song ‘African Night Flight’ as vocal inspiration before elaborating on the song’s composition.
“The words came first for many of these songs so rather than concentrating on fitting words to a melody I worried more about the words I was saying,” Righton said.
The new single begins with a pulsating 1980s beat before Righton’s locals bring in lyrics that appear at once confident and lonely as he describes the anxieties of everyday life. As the track progresses, Gary Numan style synth instrumentals are brought in as the beatless chorus departure takes us to a dreamy ether before the beat grounds us once again. The single would appear tired in the 1980s, but for a modern-day revival, it’s a refreshing listen.
Alongside the single, Righton also shared a trailer for the album’s accompanying short film, also titled Jim, I’m Still Here. The visual will be released alongside the album on July 8th and was directed by Beyoncé and Jay Z collaborator Julian Klincewicz. Watch below.
Discussing the film, Righton said he wanted to “translat[e] and [interpret] the feelings of quarantine into symbols.”
“The visual language of the film as a whole is really a translation of the feelings of isolation, uncertainty, spontaneity and growth…We wanted to create a piece that took those ideas and coyly disguised them into textural, playful and beautiful visuals.”