Alan Haber's Pure Pop Radio

By Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio

Smith and Jones
“Secondhand Heart”
(from the forthcoming album Something Worth Learning (2019)

Deftly chronicling the lack of an in-for-a-penny, in-for-a-pound element of romance missing from a relationship, Abby Smith and Sophie Jones’ glorious and catchy new single, released in advance of their forthcoming second album, Something Worth Learning, makes the case for music being the able vehicle for examining heartbreak and allowing the heart to heal.

Anchored by an emotionally-charged drums and piano base, the uptempo, melodic “Secondhand Heart,” written by Smith, adopts a classic pop structure, as the song tackles a weighty subject atop a catchy melody. Smith and Jones trade lead vocals and take on acoustic guitar and piano duties; Matt Ferry plays lead guitar and Michael Carpenter plays bass and the intricate, thundering drum pattern. Sweet lead and harmony vocalizing abound.

A particularly inventive video (watch below) brings the story of “Secondhand Heart” to life. Part performance, part interpretive dance energetically performed by Alison Plevey, the action takes place in a spacious, bare room in what looks like an industrial structure.

Plevey’s movement suggests a woman wanting to get close to a lover who is relatively, emotionally empty; drawn to him, she pushes closer, then apart, always moving, always searching for next steps. In addition to viewers watching the song unfold before their eyes, and the song is the thing, of course, the suggestion is for viewers to think and determine how they feel about what is going on. It’s a bargain that pays dividends.

“Secondhand Heart” is a triumph, a great, thinking person’s pop piece that heightens anticipation for Smith and Jones’ second album, Something Worth Learning, which releases in March. I can’t wait.

Where to Get It: Check back for purchase links

Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premiere website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, and a wide variety of features. We’ve been around since the first weekly Pure Pop Radio shows, which began broadcasting in 1995, and the 24-hour Pure Pop Radio station, which ended last August. Welcome to your number one home for coverage of the greatest melodic pop music in the universe from the ’60s to today.