Jake Whiskin - “Satanic Panic Love Song (home demo)”

Leeds-based songwriter and storyteller Jake Whiskin is back on the blog with another raw and heartfelt masterpiece: “Satanic Panic Love Song (home demo).” And we’re noticing a trend here… These last two singles have both included “home demo,” yet they both come off as first class studio recordings, so we’re just going to assume that Whiskin’s dinner table is also an API 2448.

With this track, Whiskin has once again captured the spirit of a live acoustic guitar very effectively– not always the easiest unicorn to capture. The sound is clear and robust, as though he’s sitting next to you while he plays, which is one of the first elements we seek when it comes to this genre. His vocals are pure and heartfelt, wonderfully doubled as he shares with us his truth– again brining to mind the work of Sufjan Stevens, with subtle hints of Elliott Smith in his upper register and falsetto. Truly delightful.

An organ joins, gently reminding the listener that the world is bigger than just this guitar and melody, though we would have been completely satisfied without it. The lyrics beckon, “let me take you for a ride,” a possible callback to “Joyride (home demo),” which we fell in love with last month. An electric guitar appears and the track widens, becoming a living, breathing thing, with vocal harmonies that cause us to completely overlook the absence of a rhythm section. “Satanic Panic Love Song (home demo)” is a work of art that must be immediately be hung upon the walls of your soul. All you gotta do is press play.

About the track, Whiskin adds: “It’s a tongue in cheek boy/girl escapist love song with Satanic Panic/Black Metal Tee references. I grew up loving metal and rock so this is a homage to my teenage self in his Cradle of Filth T-shirt and pink Vans.”

-TM