After what can justifiably be considered the longest year ever for the vast majority of us relegated to our homes during pandemic-induced lockdown, the promise of the spring season that beckons—coupled with the progress being made on the mass vaccination front—is reassuring, to say the least. It’s as if we’ve collectively been waiting to exhale for the past twelve months and we are now beginning to sense that the moment to finally do so is thankfully imminent.

Indeed, during the past year like no other we’ve ever experienced, finding new means of catharsis or revisiting tried-and-true sources of solace has proven imperative for salvaging any lingering shreds of our sanity within a world gone haywire.

Music, of course, has continued to offer much-needed light during our darkest hours. And today, a prime case-in-point of music’s irrefutable power to soothe even the weariest of souls arrives courtesy of Wyles & Simpson’s sublime, shapeshifting rendition of Tears For Fears’ timeless single “Shout,” which originally featured on the latter group’s classic second studio album Songs From The Big Chair (1985).

Inspired by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith’s reverence for the primal theory-based strain of psychotherapy, but also serving as a paean to political protest, “Shout” was a timely reflection of the anxiety-riddled waning years of the Cold War back in the mid-eighties. And now, Abigail Wyles and Holly Simpson’s nuanced, multi-textured reimagining of the song (stylized in emphatic all-caps as “S H O U T”) reminds us of just how relevant—and revelatory—its core message remains, three-and-a-half decades on.

“’Shout’ is a power anthem about harnessing inner-strength,” the London-based duo explain. “It was originally written about Primal Scream Therapy pioneered by psychologist Arthur Janov who claims that we can release emotional pain by ‘shouting’ it out. In this respect, our version of ‘Shout’ shares a similar thread…it’s a call to invoke a renaissance as an antidote to the past year of confinement. Our Spring Equinox release marks the beginning of a new chapter when we can reconnect and get back to living our lives. ‘S H O U T’ is also a calling from us to you as the first of many new Wyles & Simpson songs.”

Regarding that last bit, yes, it would appear that “S H O U T” is the first formalized offering of many new tunes to come, as the pair have been keeping rather busy in the studio during the past year, posting intriguing snippets of songs to their social feeds on a steady basis—all of which sound wonderful, mind you, even in their currently abbreviated form.

Though additional details and fully-formed tunes will surely emerge from the group as the year progresses, all signs point toward their second studio album—the follow-up to their excellent eponymous debut LP Wyles & Simpson (2015)—materializing sometime in the not-too-distant future.

In the meantime, we’re thrilled to present the exclusive world premiere of Wyles & Simpson’s “S H O U T” and the accompanying official video for your aural and visual pleasure below.

BUY “S H O U T” via Wyles & Simpson’s Bandcamp page

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