“I’ll always be here for you.”
Colouring is officially songwriter and producer Jack Kenworthy’s solo project. The short-lived four-piece band from London parted ways in 2019 after forming in 2015. Guitarist Sean Reilly, bassist Dom Potts, and drummer Alex Johnson made a natural split before Kenworthy’s first unaccompanied debut Wake. His second solo album, Love To You, Mate, became available to fans this February. Kenworthy is proof that when bands break up, the music doesn’t have to stop… it can evolve. With this new album, Colouring has evolved on an emotional level and become Kenworthy’s outlet for tackling hardships.
“I’ve always been on the side of making up scenarios rather than being really honest about my life within my music,” says Kenworthy in the album announcement for Love To You, Mate. “This is the first time I’ve been able to do that. I’ve been less scared of it because it’s not my story. It’s a shared one.” The album covers themes of friendship, sickness, and survival, all rooting back to the most “unbelievable” year helping his brother-in-law Greg Baker fight stage 4 cancer.
Each track in Love To You, Mate is a different battle, a different chapter in grief and loss. “I Don’t Want To See You Like That” takes a Still Woozy approach to a lyrically heavy song. The upbeat yet tranquil drum strokes are balanced by a soul-stirring piano progression. On top of this emo-optimistic contradiction, comes lyrics like “I’m praying for the life we used to have” and “When the wheels have spun off track / I’ll try to give my best to you / And help you make it through.”
“How’d It Get So Real?” is Kenworthy’s denial stage. He can’t seem to wrap his mind around reality, “Are we awake / Or just a crazy dream / We lost stability.” Though he doesn’t want to do it, “I’ll be with you through it.” Noting how he spent the holidays in the hospital, Kenworthy begins his title track “Love To You, Mate” with the lyrics, “It doesn’t feel like Christmas / But thank god we’re together.” This and the following track “Coda” are piano ballads that echo a stage of depression.
In the track “For You” the piano is patterned, tracing strange circles around the central beat. There are clear instrumental and melodic parallels between Kenworthy’s style and other atmospheric indie-rock artists like Radiohead, James Blake, and Coldplay. Similarly, he channels their lyrical depth and emotion.
In the track “A Wish” Kenworthy is telling his brother-in-law to “Hold tight.” This song works against “The world [which] is moving at the speed of light.” Kenworthy uses symbolic phrases instead of explicit words in order to keep his wish close to his heart. With no explicit mention of a wish other than in the track title, the song as a whole is longing for light at the end of the tunnel. It becomes a manifestation and a promise for everyone, to keep “hope burning inside.”
Kenworthy processes grief by providing strength for others. Love To You, Mate reveals this truth and opens a space for listeners to find strength in his art. His lyrics are less about any personal emotions or doubts, but rather about how one can render comfort, love and light for people when they need it most, “Soak up this light / I wanna love, I wanna love you a life.” This example from the track “This Light” is reflective of his attitude throughout the entire album. Again, in the final track “Big Boots” Kenworthy expresses, “I will never fill your big boots, no / Though I was never supposed to.” He is self-aware and selfless in trying to “Celebrate you / Dance like you used to.”
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