“Soul Maintenance” is the newest release from the Dundee-based funk/fusion quintet “Jutebox” showcasing their musical talent as well as the camaraderie within their songwriting. With everything you’d expect from a funk-pop album, “Soul Maintenance” flows from start to finish, carrying a high energy and buzz throughout.
Opening tracks are always so important, and it must be shown as a testament to each member’s musical capabilities with the instrumental track “Eloi”. It is upbeat from the get-go, and expresses an understanding and clarity in music for the band, as the instruments all work together and bounce off each other. The inclusion of a Saxophone (played by Rosie Handley) acts as a great bonus to the quintet, adding another layer of depth into the rich layers of funk-pop.
Following on comes “24/7” as well as my personal favourite track “What’s happening to you?”. These both show the band’s diversity with how they are able to lead off from both guitar and piano in the respective tracks, adding another element and area of intrigue into the mix. The introduction of vocal melodies at this point helps the songs to begin to grasp a “catchy” pop element, supported by an array of instrumentation that excels in the timing of each instrument, ensuring nothing is either over or underused.
At this point, I feel the EP needs a break from the previous flurry of funk, yet “Ecstacy” continues to drive on with their high pace and energy. It’s by no means a bad song at all, yet I just feel by this point the album could do with a change as I think it begins to take away rather than add to what had previously come.
To close the EP comes what I would anticipate to be the most popular song, “Adore”. I feel this song also follows heavily from what has already been heard, yet with its undoubtedly catchy chorus and encapsulating guitar, I think it does prove itself to be one of the stronger songs of the EP. However, despite some lyrics that feel slightly generic and cliché, “Adore” makes up for this with its huge sound that could easily be envisioned as something you could really come to appreciate hearing live. They are definitely a band that I think would be worth seeing, and with how this EP sounds I could only ever imagine it sounding even better live.
Overall, there are some solid tunes on this EP that I think are worth a listen and have a real “summertime” feel to them. Whilst I think it feels slightly repetitive at times, the band sounds really tight and considerate with how every piece of their musical puzzle falls into place, and have the potential for songs that I believe could easily travel far across social media.
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