"You Win You Lose" by Duke Keats
Review
Even though his current single , "Sometimes Sunshine" is still experiencing an upward popular & critical trajectory, the indefatigable Duke Keats is hitting us with its follow-up "You Win You Lose" on Friday. Which is pretty much what we tends to do, so prolific is his talent.
Another taster for his ‘POP SONGS' project, this really lush concoction might just as easily be considered a late night soul cut and neatly demonstrates his stunning capacity for creating complex, layered songs, entirely on his own, which however sound relaxed & effortless. How does he achieve this? He probably doesn't know himself and it's arguably better not to try to unpick the threads of genius. In fact he actually has implanted a warning against overthinking in this very song.
He also feels it's a good track to soundtrack driving at night: in which case he must be an extremely chilled driver. Would that there were more who drove to this groove. I'd certainly imagine it works well in the privacy of one's home.
Despite the sound and its R&B glide, though you could probably get down with a close friend to the vibe, in fact the story is much more fraught and closer to failure in love than success. It concerns a failure of nerve leading to lifelong regret, though in classic Duke Keats style embrace of visual media, he expresses it as "all of a sudden you constantly see their face everywhere on the TV screen and you long for them". Now many of us can probably identify to some extent with the failure to take that step of articulation and declaration of attraction but not many would later see the object of their desire on the telly. However that's the world of Duke Keats for you.
It's a classy world too. Sophisticated music conveying thoughtful ideas. I'm no fan of the aristocracy generally but this Duke is truly noble.
