We’ve been covering a number of a single from Prince Edward County, Ontario-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist David James Allen in recent months, teasing the eventual release of his full-length album Jubilation Potpurri forthcoming via Littleknown Records. First came ‘By Your Side’, what we described back in February as “an ode to the safe harbour of a significant other, where calm might be found no matter how stormy the outside world might prove.” Then in May came ‘The Moonlight Waltz’, detailing an altogether different sort of attempted escape. “Full of equal parts heartbreak and romance, the track is a country song in the classic sense,” we wrote, “celebrating the potential within a good old fashioned barroom while nodding to the all too familiar loneliness which haunts the edges of such a place.”
Now David James Allen has returned with brand new single ‘Dukes Up (Since You’ve Been Gone)’. Taking some inspiration from Frederick Knight’s ‘I’ve Been Lonely (For So Long)’, the track adopts a sunny tone for what is essentially a statement of defiance. A vow to confront life’s struggles head on, standing on your own two feet, fists raised and ready for anything. The sound is suitably rich and assured, with layers of guitars, bass, drums and electric piano, alongside organ from Andrew Ivens, building into something of a buoyant momentum. “On the surface, ‘Dukes Up (Since You’ve Been Gone)’ sounds like a breakup song, but I think of it more as a departure song,” Allen explains. “It’s not about any one person. It’s about those moments in life when someone you’ve relied on is suddenly gone, and you’re forced to learn how to navigate the world on your own.”