Premiere: Leeds’ Talkboy Resolve to Be Happier in “Wrapped in Blue,” a Fresh Indie Rock Outpouring

A deep and dynamic exhale, Talkboy’s uncompromising new single “Wrapped in Blue” is the fresh, urgent indie rock jumpstart our hearts and minds have all been looking for – a sincerely sweet overhaul of sound and emotion that just might help this new year feel a little better than the last.

for fans of The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, The Wombats, The Vaccines

Stream: “Wrapped In Blue” – Talkboy

The moral of the story is, keep the people you care about as close as you can; they’re your ticket out of whatever it is.

A deep and dynamic exhale, Talkboy’s entrance into 2021 is an overdriven and impassioned upheaval of emotion and sound. Vulnerable and uncompromising, “Wrapped in Blue” is the fresh, urgent indie rock jumpstart our hearts and minds have all been looking for – a sincerely sweet overhaul that just might help make this new year feel a little better than the last.

If change is in the air, let Talkboy be the soundtrack to your moment of truth.

I’ve been up here all night, watching my thoughts go by
Everything moves so slowly here in the dark
City hum, taxi man finds a side street to go and smoke his cigarette
Maybe he’s lonely too, Wrapped in blue

Everything seems like a sign
When you’re looking for a place to hide
Searching for some excuses now, because I’m a child
And all this talk of moving on and living like I know I should
Hasn’t quite settled yet, confusion is my point of view
When I’m wrapped in blue

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Wrapped in Blue,” Talkboy’s first song of 2021 and the latest single off their forthcoming EP Wrapped in Blue, out February 11 via LAB Records. The Leeds-based band of Katie Heap (vocals), Calum Juniper (vocals), Tim Malkin (guitar), Charlotte Jones (keys), Tom Sargent (bass), and Jake Greenway (drums), Talkboy dropped into our lives in late 2019 with their Over & Under EP, and they haven’t looked back since: 2020 not only heralded for them widespread popularity online, but it also saw release of stunning singles “Feel Again,” “Stupid Luck,” and “Sky Is Falling” – each of which brightens the room in its own charming way. “Talkboy demonstrates an outpouring of heart doesn’t need to follow a straight line on “Sky is Falling,” Atwood Magazine‘s Adrian Vargas wrote of the band’s final release of 2020. “The passion that resides within the song is profoundly evident – its existence unmistakable and something listeners will be hard-pressed not to become enthralled with… The liveliness and spirit attached to “Sky is Falling” is palpable, allowing the song to transport and mesmerize. Talkboy have given listeners an opportunity to escape and experience unrivaled joy, even if for only three minutes. “Sky is Falling” is one of 2020’s brightest spots, and one would only be doing themselves a disservice by not listening.”

Talkboy explode into 2021 carrying this charismatic musical magic with them.

“Wrapped in Blue” finds the band diving into the self, indulging in sadness to the point that they seem to full inhabit the feeling’s mindset and experience. As they sonically align themselves with some of indie rock’s greatest contemporaries – fans of everyone from The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys, to The Wombats and The Vaccines will find something to love about Talkboy – “Wrapped in Blue” reaches a feverish crescendo that embraces and own that familiar state of being down:

I could be the person the you used to know
I could be the one that had to let you go
And I hope that I’m wrong, but all this feels true
When I’m wrapped in blue, when I’m wrapped in blue
When I’m wrapped in blue, when I’m wrapped in blue

“I think I just realised that sometimes stuff doesn’t go the way you thought it might and you can either get all cynical and bitter or just find a way to move on,” Talkboy guitarist and songwriter Tim Malkin tells Atwood Magazine. “It’s not about making problems seem small; it’s just about acknowledging them and figuring out how to deal with them instead of just hiding away all the time. As with all self administered life advice I definitely don’t always listen to myself and definitely still do this a lot. I also really do not want to just moan for four minutes – nobody wants to hear that and let’s be honest, I don’t have it even remotely hard. I think it’s more about looking at what you can change about yourself to make you a bit happier, rather than pointing the finger at the stuff around you.”

“I feel like it’s the most arrogant thing ever to use the song title in the description, but when I wrote this it really did feel like everything was wrapped in blue,” he adds. “It’s about coming to the realisation there is so much more to get excited about than this blue exterior you’ve been looking at for ages; you just have to be selfless enough to take some time to look closer at stuff other than yourself. The moral of the story is keep the people you care about as close as you can; they’re your ticket out of whatever it is.”

It’s more about looking at what you can change about yourself to make you a bit happier, rather than pointing the finger at the stuff around you.

Malkin’s sentiment is remarkably simple, yet its resonance rings bright and true. It’s the kind of philosophy that is far more difficult to practice than it is to preach, but if you can master it, then you’ve got what you need to live a happier, healthier life. Talkboy continue to build energy and emotion throughout their second verse. The band’s connective storytelling capacity is seconded only by the gritty, down-to-earth vigor with which they attack their (self-produced) music:

So now I go into the night, into the glow, into the light
Everyone moves so quickly, everyone shines so bright
Filling myself with alcohol, because I’m a child
And all this talk of moving on and living like I know I should
Hasn’t quite settled yet, confusion is my point of view
When I’m wrapped in blue

I could be the person the you used to know
I could be the one that had to let you go
And I hope that I’m wrong, but all this feels true
When I’m wrapped in blue, when I’m wrapped in blue

Talkboy even find a moment to turn off the overdrive and speak frankly in the song’s concluding bridge, an evocative reckoning that brings to bear all these vivid emotions they’ve been otherwise singing about with such dramatic intensity. Stripped of that electric sheen for a minute, we feel the full depths of that isolation and insecurity. From there, Talkboy build up to one last immersive, all-encompassing finale. It’s a rallying cry for everyone who needs it:

So I find a way to push it all away
Feels like I’m 20 different people trying to tell the same story
And they all get lost, I could be the person the you used to know
I could be the one that had to let you go
And I hope that I’m wrong, but all this feels true
When I’m wrapped in blue

Out everywhere January 20, “Wrapped in Blue” is an exhilarating four-minute burst of fervor, and a powerful preview of Talkboy’s upcoming sophomore EP. Stay tuned for more from the Leeds band in the lead up to February’s Wrapped in Blue EP release, and for now stream “Wrapped in Blue” exclusively on Atwood Magazine!

Stream: “Wrapped In Blue” – Talkboy

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