new rhodes

Quando Quando Quando

As far as cover versions go, this has to be one of the silliest yet inspired choices from New Rhodes. ’Quando Quando Quando’ has already been covered as a duet featuring Nelly Furtado and Michael Bublé but for the Englebert Humperdink version, read Mike Flowers for this more than camp cover of the classic. Not that lead-singer James Williams’ crooning is nothing less than majestic but the wind percussion and department store acoustic guitar reek of sentimentality. Perfect for Valentines Day then.

‘The Bells of St John’ sheds all false pretension and instead impresses with a lazy, heartfelt paean to the tedium of loneliness. Painful listening but admirable nonetheless for proving how powerful a lone voice and guitar can be.

Final track, ‘Someone Else’ finds New Rhodes in their element with the sort of infectious, energetic three minute indiepop they’ve become renowned for. With a healthy, bouncy exuberance and a stridently proud delivery, the track urges you to join in its pure, unabashed joy, quite unlike the rest of the single. All proceeds from the single go to the War Child charity and will prove value for money.