Sheffield, South Yorkshire, is known for its gritty musical tradition, which fuses RnB, soul, British Folk, and Rock ‘n’ Roll. Think Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, Joe Cocker, Def Leppard, Reverend And The Makers, ABC, The Human League. It’s brisk, no-frills, no punches pulled; smart and witty, with songwriters who don’t suffer fools gladly, and who don’t hesitate to use irony and sarcasm, along with a dark humour, to get their point across. Soup Review, with their new song, ‘Stars In Their Eyes On SSRIs’ are a fine example of a Sheffield band, with their front and centre melodies, and formidably intelligent lyrics. And even though only Chris Delamere is the only native Yorkshireman in the duo – Mario D’Agoistino is an incomer from England’s south – Soup Review’s music is as Yorkshire as Yorkshire Tea, Yorkshire Pudding, and King Richard III.
Chris Delamere, on vocals, carries with him the overtones of British folk-rock, while Mario D’Agostino brings with him the lo-fi indie rock sound. ‘Stars In Their Eyes On SSRIs’ is gritty AF, from its acoustic rhythm guitar right though to the second hand store synth, the bright brass (how Yorkshire is that!) and the clear, warm voices of the pair, delivering their cut glass lyrics.
The song is narrated by someone who’s pretending to be someone he’s not, and in doing so, stave off depression. Just like the TV show, it’s all “Matthew today I am” – and he’s a famous name, like Freddie Mercury, Cher, or Engelbert Humperdinck. It’s this which helps our hero get through his day, and beat his own self-doubt, which would otherwise pummel him to a pulp. D’Agostino and Delamere appear in the video, dressed in costumes made from cardboard, but although they’re stepping out disguised as their idols, they’re fooling nobody – not even themselves.
Watch the video below. You can find Soup Review online on Twitter.
