The Calexico vibes of Jason Montero’s ‘Thorn’ come on hard and strong right from the start, making it absolutely impossible to resist having a bop – while Montero sings of staying in relationships when it’s well beyond its use-by date.
Montero sings of a relationship that should have ended some time ago, but for whatever reason, it’s just not over yet. He’s observing all the things he no longer likes about his partner – they may have been endearing initially, but now, they’re just annoying. While they’re not strictly together anymore, there’s something which keeps them coming back each time. He’s the first one they call when they’re in a bind; they say it’s over but they keep a key to his door, and so on. And much as he says he’s done with the whole thing, it must be noted that he’s not insisting on the return of his key, and he’s still dropping everything to rescue them when they’re stuck in Mexico without any money.
Whether intentional or not, it could be said that in parts, Montero channels Gordon Lightfoot with ‘Thorn’; it’s not the through the entire song, but in parts there certainly feels like an element of an uptempo, guiro-infused tribute to ‘If You Could Read My Mind’.
Montero’s drawling vocals, accompanied by acoustic guitar, maracas, and the afore-mentioned guiro, conjure up a laid back, sun-bleached, setting. While the instrumentals are energetic, Montero perfectly conveys the world-weary protagonist, too tired, and too set in his ways, to say no and put an end to all this being used by the other person.
‘Thorn’ is out now. You can find out more about Jason Montero and his music online on his official website, Twitter, Facebook, and Spotify.
