Leeds singer-songwriter Jake Whiskin returns with Sabbath Deep Cuts; his first release since his 2023 debut and a quietly assured opening to the next chapter.
Recorded in Los Angeles with producer James Flannigan, the track blends sombre indie rock and Americana around heartache, exhaustion and late-night clarity. Whiskin explains:
This is the first music I’ve released in years after taking some time off to focus on family and health. The first record was made around the corner from my house in Leeds not long after covid; so there’s this tentative feeling that I hear in it because the world, and myself at the time, felt so fragile…
That distance appears to have sharpened his creative direction. Sabbath Deep Cuts feels less concerned with second-guessing and more comfortable allowing sadness, restraint and vulnerability to carry the production. He shares:
This next chapter is me owning what I was figuring out in the past and inhabiting a new world where I’m not second guessing myself. This is exactly the music I want to make — whether that’s more bombastic or more sad, I’m not overthinking it if it feels good.
The release follows a sold-out UK and European tour with Barns Courtney. On Sabbath Deep Cuts, Whiskin sounds more confident, pairing melancholic writing with expansive guitar music.