Aaron Frazer – Into the Blue

The critical success of Indications frontman Durand Jones’ self-titled album last year proved two things. Firstly, there’s still an appetite for finely-crafted soul music and secondly, people have been sleeping on Aaron Frazer. Frazer is also part of the Indications line-up (he plays drums and occasionally provides vocals) but while Jones’ solo work doesn’t stray too far from the template set out by his band, Frazer sounds more like a heartthrob from the era of doo-wop.

His 2021 debut, Introducing..., featured a cover that showed him posing like a Brylcreemed teen idol and a collection of songs seemingly genetically engineered to make hearts quiver. On Into the Blue, he’s broadened his palette somewhat while still retaining the classic songwriting that makes his work so enjoyable. So, while tracks like “Thinking of You” and “Time Will Tell” stick to the formula of smooth falsetto and polished sheen fans will already be familiar with, songs like the title track flirt with danger and twanging, country guitars. Elsewhere, “Payback” is his finest song yet—a stomp that’s sure to delight greasers and cheerleaders alike—and “Dime,” a duet with Chilean artist Cancamusa, floats on air.

The retro-soul resurgence of the 21st Century has seen a number of artists whose names have become bywords for quality: Sharon Jones, Eli “Paperboy” Reed, Lee Fields. With Into the Blue, Aaron Frazer has demonstrated he deserves to be held in the same esteem.

Into the Blue was released on 28 June 2024 via Dead Oceans.