Maddox Jones ready for new musical chapter with solo EP Headspace

Headspace is the debut solo EP from Maddox Jones and to mark its release this week, he is playing it in full for Spin Magazine on Thursday.
Maddox Jones releases the EP Headspace this Friday.Maddox Jones releases the EP Headspace this Friday.
Maddox Jones releases the EP Headspace this Friday.

Fifteen years since the release of his former band’s debut album, Maddox Jones returns this week with his debut solo EP, Headspace.

The Northampton singer-songwriter is marking its release on Friday with an online live broadcast with Spin Magazine the night before where he’s set to play the record in full.

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Headspace sees the former frontman of The Departure, and more recently Born Stranger, the happiest he’s been in recent years with his own material.

Reflecting on his first EP as a solo artist, he said: “This is the start of a new chapter.

“I’m really proud of it and it’s some of my first work in a while that I can actually stand behind and get behind fully.

“I want this to put me on the map again and then build from there.

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“I’ve been really happy with the reaction so far to the singles (Headspace and My House).

“I’ve been lucky to have a bit more of a team working on things this time.

“My label Radikal Records have partners around the world so I actually have different labels releasing it across the UK, Europe and America.

“The first single’s video (Headspace) has had something like 30,000 views, so yeah, it’s going well.

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“It’s good to have the momentum building up to the release of the EP.”

Despite Headspace being Maddox Jones’ debut EP as a solo act, he headed into the project on the back of his Born Stranger, a collaboration project which led to numerous singles in recent years.

The new five track EP features the songs My House, More Than This, Dancing Feels Good, No More Ghosts and the title track.

Two were produced by Dave Crawford, two by Harry Tarlton and one by Louis Souyave.

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Talking about the EP, Maddox Jones said: “It kind of tells a story really about where I am.

“It's about trying to break bad habits. I’ve just come out of a relationship so it’s a bit about letting go of that.

“It’s a bit a snapshot of where I really am at the moment.”

“It’s quite an eclective EP really. Headspace has more of a ‘housey’ beat with a bit of leftfield production.

“My House has a bit more of an indie kind of pop feel to it.

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“I haven't really gone for one sound, what ties it together are the lyrical themes and the fact I'm singing it.

“My House is about inviting some friends to an after-party and exploring hedonistic party vibes, but seeing the falseness of it all. You make fake friends in those sort of scenarios.”

Following The Departure, Maddox Jones played in Newislands, Strangers and the aforementioned Born Stranger with Raife Hacking.

“With Born Stranger, I don’t think my heart was in it as much towards the end after Raife left,” he explains.

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“This year, I thought it was time to come out as me because that's what it is.”

The Departure’s debut LP Dirty Words was released in 2005 via Parlophone Records.

Maddox Jones was joined in the band by Sam Harvey, Ben Winton, Lee Irons and Andy Hobson – with Simon Alexander going on to replace Hobson.

Reflecting on his time in The Departure he said: “It was a whirlwind. I remember the way we got signed. “We’d gone to Tom Stubbs’ studio in North London.

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“We finished the demo, stayed in London, got a Yellow Pages and called up record companies and set up meetings.

“On the Friday, we played at gig at the Roamdender and the A&Rs swarmed to come and see us.

“We kind of created our own hype really.

“It was at the time when Franz Ferdinand had just released their first single Bloc Party were huge – we were fitting in with that zeitgeist.

“Playing the Reading Festival in 2004 was amazing. Our first single All Mapped Out had gone into the charts at number 30 and I remember everyone singing along.

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“Loads of people came to Reading to see us and I think it was a really proud moment for Northampton.

“The way you became famous then was getting on MTV2 and being on BBC Radio One.

“Now, it’s not just about being a musician. You have to be a bit of a personality, posting content all the time and working on strategies.”

Despite the impact the Coronavirus has had on the live music industry, Maddox Jones is already planning how to make the shift from the studio to the stage - explaining he hopes to incorporate live loops, snyths and bass into performances when venues open again.

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During lockdown, he has been working on new material to follow the Headspace EP later this year as well as performing with Michael Austin-Riley as part of the Garden Sessions.

As part of the promotional campaign around the release of Headspace, Maddox Jones will be performing the EP in full and other tracks this Thursday (July 9) from 8pm from Plastic Tree Studios on Spin Magazine’s Twitch page at www.twitch.tv/spinmagLooking to the release of the EP and his future as a solo artist, Maddox Jones concludes “I'm totally happy with where I am now. Although I maybe haven’t commercially kept building, I’ve found my voice.

“I’m more comfortable in my own skin now than I ever have been.”

Headspace is available to pre-order now via http://tiny.cc/HeadspaceEPFor more details, visit https://www.facebook.com/itsmaddoxjones