A four track EP from 18 year old Londoner John Parry, ‘Enough’, is sexy, smokey and sultry, with lyrics and a vocal style that defies his age.
Sounding like a cross between Bruno Mars and John Legend, with a touch of James Bay and the freestyling of Ed Sheeran, comes John Parry, an 18 year old singer songwriter from London. On opening track, ‘Awkward’, Parry drawls out the lyrics, dragging them across a simple acoustic guitar accompaniment. The song freestyles its way over lyrics such as “I’m 18 I’m not 3” “Cos I’m not your typical type” “I’m not someone who you look at twice out on the street/I’m just a very very awkward person to meet”; lyrics tinged with sadness, but very relatable.
Song 2 however, ‘Do’, is more confident. Parry doesn’t hold back: he outlines what he would like to do with the object of his affections. ‘Cos all I wanna do is her’. Again, the song is slow and sultry – Parry seduces with his voice, with a Latin flavoured guitar based track. The pace reaches its climax at just after the two minute mark, clashing cymbals and strident drums, before slowing down again in the last 30 seconds.
With the third track, ‘Enough’, it’s evident that this EP is written from Parry’s real-life experiences. He’s exploring love and life, embarking on relationships, and being influenced by his surroundings. ‘Enough’ is the first release of the EP, and it’s moody and dark; sombre. “Enough of doing what you want me to do/I’m doing what I wanna do/I’m doing what I gotta do to get out”. What does he want to get out of? One presumes it’s the relationship he pursued in the first two songs.
Track 4, ‘What Have I Done’, seems different from the others in that it’s about a trip gone wrong. But what you get from the refrain is that it’s happening because of the broken relationship:
“What have I done seeing double/eyes glazed over I’m in trouble/cos this ain’t fun trying to get help/from someone that’s been overcome”. We’re reminded that in hindsight, growing up is easy, but it’s not all that fun when you’re experiencing it.
‘Enough’ is out on 4 March. You can find John Parry online on YouTube, Soundcloud, Twitter, and Instagram. You can buy the title track now on iTunes.
