Joel Culpepper ft: Tom Misch - Free (Single)
Photo Credit: Raminta Ceponyte
South East London’s Joel Culpepper makes his return with the announcement of his inspiring new EP Happiness Is Only A Few Miles Away, set for release on 27th October, 2023 via Beyond The Groove. The EP announcement comes with the release of new single ‘Free’ featuring Tom Misch (who also produced the EP), the first new music from Joel since the release of his highly acclaimed 2021 debut album Sgt Culpepper.
The creation of the EP began while Joel was on tour with Tom Misch last year. The two had originally become friends after Tom heard a song of Joel’s ‘Afraid To Be King’ that he loved “he got in touch and we had a decent sesh, nothing more, nothing less really,” explains Joel. “He was working on his joint album with Yussef that I provided a few backing vocals for. What felt a bit kismet is Tom and I from that point on just kept bumping into each other, quite randomly too. Both from South-East, I honestly think we were meant to be friends primarily. The music then built naturally on top of that. We became family.” As they toured across continents together last year they had some studio time and ‘Free’ was the first track they recorded with legendary American soul artist Eddie Chacon (of Charles and Eddie) in L.A. “I had heard of his renaissance going on via the likes of John Caroll Kirby and his beautiful album Pleasure, Joy, Happiness. I was into it. He accepted the invite to join us in the studio, he was very gracious, extremely humble and full of stories” explains Joel.
The bulk of the rest of the EP was recorded at Tom’s home studio as well as Joel’s friend’s studio in Perry Vale and Jimmy Napes Studio in North London. It came at a time where Joel found himself open to trying out and connecting to new things, finding inspiration in perhaps unexpected places. “‘Free’ feels like a real embodiment of Tom's support of me and connecting to something unfamiliar…nature!” says Joel. “Hikes, Surfing, Cold Water, Calisthenics… Tom mostly laughing and cheering me on in the attempt. Carrying me down the mountain because my knee gave out was a new level of friendship.” As well as a new appreciation of nature, Joel has gained inspiration through meditation as his own form of sobriety. “I found myself going weekly all of sudden, gaining peace and maybe even a bit of healing,” explains Joel. “I’d say people noticed a positive shift in me without me explicitly saying I’d been meditating. Almost like I was getting better without me really realising.”
The EP is an incredibly honest piece of work that showcases why Joel has become renowned as a pioneer of his unique retro-soul sound. Joel has maintained his ethos of always taking a music first approach and that is evident in the charismatic songwriting and impeccable performances on the record. The EP takes on themes of letting go and doing your best to be present even in pain, acknowledging that our awareness is central to our happiness. Love, joy, pain are all there within the record. Joel’s hope is that the EP title provokes a questioning for those listening, as Joel explains “vulnerability is our superpower and I hope that even though parts of this project are painful it also still translates as hopeful. Self love or rather self acceptance is the biggest act of kindness.”
On the single ‘Free’, Joel explains, “when Nina Simone said “what is freedom to me? No fear!” I feel ‘Free’ is no fear with only this addition, it’s our choice. We choose our own incarceration. Our bars. The bad situations that can grip us and hold us, we also have the power, through self acceptance, seeing it and making a point - still I rise. Doesn’t remove pain but learning to suffer less feels like our decision.”