If you've heard of British singer-songwriter Tom Odell, it's probably because of his smash hit "Another Love" - which was successful enough to merit its own short film. Odell was listed in the BBC's Sound of 2013 Poll and won the 2013 Critics Choice Award, but the "angel-faced piano-thumper" from Chichester also has his detractors (a scathing review by caused his father to write back in indignation).
Odell's debut album (2013) may have its flaws and imperfections, but, as The Telegraph's Helen Brown notes, it also showcased Odell's ability to pour "all the reckless romance and intense sincerity of youth into a record full of walloping big tunes, most of which deserve to be singles". While Odell risks coming across as being formulaic and potentially too maudlin or too mopey, there is a compelling intensity to his vocals that suggest of greater things to come. Odell is also noted for "embodying the sensitive side of masculinity", and his "introspective romanticism" has been compared to compatriots Coldplay, Keane, Laura Marling and Elton John (who is Odell's childhood inspiration).
"Wrong Crowd" is the lead single from Odell's upcoming sophomore effort Wrong Crowd, and largely rehashes a similar musical packaging as "Another Love" and "I Know": intense, angsty and melancholic vocals that swell and soar with the urgency and emotional weight of a gut-wrenching confession, backed by piano-bashing, foot-thumping orchestration. While there are echoes of Odell's previous obsessions and difficulties with romantic love (Ohhhhh I wish I could find somebody/ That my mother would like/ Oh I wish I can find somebody/That could treat me right)', "Wrong Crowd" departs slightly in its focus on the conflicting expectations of his peers and parents:
"And my mother is standing beside meAs I'm packing my bags in the carShe says please boy no more fightingOh it's only gonna do you harm.But I can't help it, I don't know howI guess I'll always be hanging round with the wrong crowd.I can't help it, I don't know howI guess I'll always be hanging round with the wrong crowd"
I didn't really expect to see Odell dancing around in a nightclub while being drenched in alcohol, but the conflicted introspection in the lyrics makes this congruent with the brand of emotionally-driven pop he's known for. Odell's sonic formula may not have significantly departed from his previous album, but I'm quite excited to hear him explore different aspects of young adulthood. And I'm somehow still not bored of his affinity for dramatic melancholy - it suits him well (at least for now).
