Don’t Tell John – Again (2025)
‘Again’ is the new single from Bay Area band Don’t Tell John, who are an act heavily rooted in the sound of the nineties. In fact, they are made up of musicians who were active in that era and fronted by one of the band members’ daughters. ‘Again’ is a downbeat track, but very atmospheric with it.
Don’t Tell John’s sound has been compared to that of a female-fronted Soundgarden. You can also hear that their music has the same darkness as artists like The Cure and The Cranberries. The track opens with a moody and haunting guitar riff. The guitars become lighter on the introduction of the first chorus, but get bigger and brasher the more the song progresses. The lyrics are simple but cleverly repeated to allow them to leave their mark with the listener: “It took a long time to figure out / Got through the anxiousness and doubt”. 25-year-old lead singer Veronica Larkin has a stunning voice tailor-made for rock. She adapts her vocals throughout the track.,
Guitarist and songwriter Mark Larkin’s own personal take on the track is:
“‘Again’ is about the cycles we all fall into. The way they can weigh on you, and the hope that maybe this time you’ll break free. There’s a melancholy feel and a recognition that the longer you’re in those patterns, the harder it gets to escape. Veronica and I first sketched the song out on a family trip to Oregon, and it quickly became part of our foundation. It was even the first song we ever played live as Don’t Tell John. Recording it at our own Station House Studios felt like bringing the journey full circle.”
Don’t Tell John describes ‘Again’ as powerful and soulful, and it most certainly launches out of the speakers with urgency and heart. The band have been releasing singles for the past few years and are causing excitement in the rock world. Previous singles include ‘Jake’, which has shades of Nirvana and Pearl Jam and that whole 90s grunge scene. ‘Hard Luck’ has heavy yet funky-sounding guitars, and ‘Grandad’ has the same bluesy-ness about it as some of the best works of Led Zeppelin and Free. ‘Again’ is a grungey-sounding track with plenty of heart, and Don’t Tell John has a rich, modern sound but with one foot firmly in the past.
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