Mystery Girl: Review

However unlucky Friday the 13th is for some, it was a lucky day for one Manchester lad, James Holt. His latest song ‘Mystery Girl’ was released, and it fits perfectly with his discography. His voice is wonderful, and it is clear James has a flair for writing songs.

Holt captures that feeling you get when your attention is diverted by someone who’s just so good looking you can’t ignore them, even if you don’t know their name. The single features fellow singer Toria Wooff, who works with James as a backing singer, helping create the perfect atmosphere for 'Mystery Girl' as a song, along with the presence of a lesser- heard harpsichord, not only making 'Mystery Girl' reminiscent of The Stranglers’ 'Golden Brown', but also representing a versatility possessed by James as an artist, and his lack of fear when it comes to standing out from a crowd.

The single’s cover features both James and Toria (shot wonderfully by Debbie AKA Asupremeshot) and is clearly evokes Bob Dylan’s Bring It All Back Home album. It is laced with James’s influences such as Dylan and The Beach Boys, just to name a few. Again, this makes James unique, in the modern Manchester scene especially. Many acts are attempting to copy their Mancunian predecessors, and it is most certainly a breath of fresh air that a young man from Manchester is not attempting to be the next Morrissey or Liam Gallagher, but being the first version of themselves.

Working with James is drummer Aden Peets, who I have commended before for his work with Nile Marr, and Aden is one of the best drummers around in the modern scene, like James, Aden demonstrates a positive movement within the modern live music scene, which is wonderfully starting to mirror the live scene of the 1970s and 80s – which is a positive step in the way music is made.

As well as working with Aden, this track was mixed by Jim Spencer (whom James has worked with previously on ‘Whispers’) who is most noted for his work with New Order and Electronic. His work with James clearly demonstrates the talent and potential possessed by him.

A massive thank you to James for letting me be involved in the music video for the song, I, for one, am very much looking forward to its release!

James is performing at Manchester’s Band On The Wall on April 10th, and looking at the support acts and the rest of James’ discography it will be a phenomenal night.‘Mystery Girl’ is available to stream now from all major streaming services, and is also available on YouTube.