‘Give It Out’ isn’t a song so much as a pledge, recited over and over again above Gamelan bells, whistles and bittersweet analogue electronica. On one hand, it’s a man – lo-fi pop troubadour John Hancock III, who you might know from his belting March single ‘Left Me’ – promising to stop being such a fuck-up to a person he’s teetering on a relationship with. “I won’t give it out, no, I won’t give it out, no, not after you’re mine,” he swears down. On the other hand, there’s a nervousness in that gentle vocal. The person he’s trying to convince could as easily be his own historically self-sabotaging self.
The track, out today on 10K Islands, sounds like LCD Soundsystem suffering a severe attack of the Drakes: it’ll throw you out onto the dance floor, but it might be a melancholy few minutes beneath those disco lights.
Previously frontman to Pitchfork-acclaimed Miami indie outfit Awesome New Republic, the New Jersey man – also singer in 10K electronic-soulsters Viigo – in other projects submerges his vocals in reverby intrigue, but not on ‘Give It Out’: This is him at his rawest and most up-front. Check it out above, and give him a follow on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Till next week, gang.
10K ISLANDS 