S J Denney Talks Getting out of a Rut on New Single ‘A Silent Scream’

Benfleet-based singer-songwriter S J Denny has had a fairly prolific music career since landing on the scene with 2015’s , 'Night & Day'. Since then he's been steadily releasing a body of work, taking inspiration from the likes of Jeff Buckley, Talk Talk and Neil Young; spanning various genres such as, brit pop, indie rock and folk.

On his most recent single 'A Silent Scream', Denny synthesizes the breath of his various stylistic and genre influences into a controlled yet effervescent, quiet and plodding cry for help with a subsequent declaration of moving towards self improvement.

The track starts with a gloomy and cyclical guitar melody overtop a mid tempo acoustic guitar and the lyrics, " I'm spending all my time working on a plan for thing I know that I can never understand / But I do my best to hide it with a silent Scream ~ A Smile". From here we get some lively woodwind flourishes coinciding with a lyrical commentary on the last line "I'm not saying this to bring you down but I've got to break these chains / And I'm sorry that I'm leaving now, gotta take myself away for a while".

The background of this section sees pockets of ambient synth and strings swells dancing in and out of the mix before giving way to a woodwind solo with a glockenspiel for added texture, brightening the mood a bit. This instrumental trade-off, anchored by the soft acoustic guitar, becomes a key feature in maintaining the momentum as the track progresses before amalgamating in a relatively reserved accordion solo that sees the song out. 

Altogether 'A Silent Scream' is a beautifully evocative, guitar pop ballad that gets at the heart of recognizing one's quiet resignation in the face of adversities while also acknowledging the opportunity for growth in the face of it; an all in all great track.

Kenneth Butcher

@kazu_kb 

Image: 'A Silent Scream' Official Single Cover