Six years since his last record, Jamie T — real name Jamie Treays — has already topped the charts with his new album The Theory Of Whatever.

★★★★☆

Hailing from Wimbledon and still paving the way for young, upcoming indie artists, Jamie knows a thing or two about longevity in the industry. Since his first wildly-celebrated album Panic Prevention in 2007, Jamie has been somewhat private in the media so this latest album had everyone on tenterhooks.

The first track on the album, 90s Cars, is complemented by piano and bass riffs with lyrics that can be seen as quite sad whilst touching on subjects such as anxiety: “I drink too much when I’m trying to get to sleep / I think too much when I’m trying to get to sleep”. Anxiety is something which Jamie has previously dealt with and immediately makes you feel a sense of understanding towards his more private demeanour. 90s Cars leads nicely into a more signature Jamie T-sounding banger, Old Style Raiders; upbeat and with Jamie’s trademark quick wit. This is one track you can imagine opening up any festival stage and having the crowd instantly transfixed. 

British Hell is riff heavy yet with an instant raucous vibe offloading his frustrations on society today, leading into more of a polar opposite track with synth feels on The Terror Of Lambeth Love, taking off his rose-tinted glasses and seeing things for how they really are. Continuing on the synth train, Keying Lamborghinis describes someone who is running amok and getting up to all sorts: “Sipping pinot grigio / Bloodshot forget-me-not / Them sniff up the Whizzer” — more tongue-in-cheek lyrics from Jamie whilst exploring other people’s behaviours with his immaculate storytelling. 

Moving into a somewhat reflective, slower track in St. George Wharf Tower, a tune that is touching on a more personal note for Jamie with lines such as “mama am I strong enough to deal with these blues?”. A welcomed quieter song that breaks up Jamie’s notoriously upbeat nature.

A Million & One New Ways To Die opens with a quick beat from the off and is a song that seems fuelled with anger — another track that is bound to get the crowd pumped in any setting. A coming-of-age love song can be found in Thank You with yet more poignant storytelling, this time focusing on the trials and tribulations of a luxury taxi driver.

Going back to his indie roots, the next two tracks Between The Rocks and Sabre Tooth shows he hasn’t flown far from the nest he made all those years ago. The prior proves Jamie’s status of being one of the quickest vocalists within the indie realm, and the latter opens our ears to a multitude of sounds, easily being one of the most explorative songs on the album.

Winding down this record, Talk Is Cheap is stripped back with just Jamie and his trusty acoustic. A song focusing on someone who has almost lost themselves by masking their own vices. The beauty of this album is the openness Jamie allows us to see and the personal depths he goes to with his beautifully eloquent storytelling. The penultimate track on this record and possibly my favourite, Old Republican, is an honest song that explains that familiar longing for someone. The passion in Jamie’s vocals on this particular track is everpresent, making for a powerful song that ups with intensity. 

Closing down the album with a piano ballad, 50,000 Unmarked Bullets is a tender but short track touching on love, the complexities that come with it and leaving us with an important reminder that someone is out there holding onto and supporting you.

A welcome return to one of the last remaining 00’s indie artists who never misses the mark when it comes to crossing hip-hop-inspired vocals with guitar-led sounds. The mix of both upbeat tracks alongside the quieter ones makes this album an easy listen all whilst honing in on Jamie’s signature style that we all know and love him for.

The Theory Of Whatever is out now on Virgin Records.

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