Music is meant to evoke emotions. Sometimes you need it to pump you up, like a quick blast of Black Flag in the car on the way to the gym. Or maybe some Chopin to calm you down in bed after you’ve had your 12th cup of tea for the day at 11pm. And sometimes you just need something that makes you feel good.
Jack Stirling’s latest single Hand Me Down is one such song. It’s three and a half minutes of jolly as fuck beats and keys with some heartwarmingly endearing lyrics.
Dripping with super sexy synth, funky Nile Rodgers-style guitar licks, thick bass lines and Stirling’s voice which transitions from butter smooth to gravel rough in an instant, Hand me Down just oozes fun.
With masked aliens, street ball and neon beats, you won’t be able to control your feet listening to Hand Me Down from Jack Stirling.
It has a retro kind of feel that immediately reminds you of Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson as well as local act Client Liaison. It hooks you in, bathes you in stunning neon and gives you permission to drop what you’re doing and dance up a storm.
Jack describes the song as “A bombastic banger bringing the naivety of the adult world to light; Hand Me Down tells a thousand tales of the love found by lovers lost.”
It’s simple, catchy and has this feeling of optimism that’s incredibly infectious. When the chorus kicks in, you can’t help but nod your head and sing along with Stirling as he promises “Baby you can grow with me, I’ll be your hand me down.”
The clip, made as a collaboration with filmmaker Hannah Dougherty, matches the unashamedly positive vibes of the track perfectly as we dance the blues away with a group of alien mask wearing characters at the basketball court, skatepark and running track.
When questioned about the mischievous clip set in New York, Dougherty had the following to say:
“Hand Me Down started as a reverse X-Files concept, featuring two alien detectives searching for the truth about humans and in the process discovering dance. After listening to some of Jack Stirling’s music I was inspired to make an 80s dance music video which I hadn’t tackled before.”
For a newcomer to the 80s vibe, Dougherty killed it with Hand Me Down. Her and Stirling’s style are in perfect tandem here, and we’ve got our fingers crossed they’ll be working together again.
Keep up to date with Jack Stirling by sussing out his Facebook page.
