There’s a Palmie North native who now resides in old London town by the name of Alan Gregg. He happens to be the driving force and main man for Polite Company, his new project that’s absolutely enchanting me with every release.

Having been a member of NZ rock royalty The Muttonbirds, Alan is no stranger to the scene, and is no novice. This shows. His crystal clear vocal, which I think I once compared with Mike Batt from back in the day, also brings to mind Welsh vocalist Mal Pope. It’s a sweet tenor; one that can sit in as varied a set of genres as you could care to name. Here Alan is delivering us some exquisite guitar-led indie pop.

He’s written the song about those folks who are, some rightly and some not so, being vilified across the world of today. The billionaire class. He read in one of the British dailies about a young owner being turfed from his own company, and who Alan saw a photo of outside his building without shoes or socks, being “at one” with the world. An outrageously ear-worming melody is backed by some charming orchestration. Delicate balances of guitars, keys, a touch of warm brass. You will be clapping and singing along to this one! The chorus is still going through my head.

He’s put together a great video. Simple imagery made up of some dolls, combined with a lyric video, and some illustrated moving imagery. Nothing challenging or offensive, but it really adds to the charm of this track.

Topping it off for me are the lyrics themselves. Such a clever roll of dialogue! Alan has crafted some rhyme that genuinely kicks your consciousness with regard to the flimsiness yet desperate reliance we have on tech, and our familiarity with those billionaires and their oft hair-brained schemes. Celebrities just for having money. Very poignant and deeply incisive, the lyrics hide their bite beneath Alan‘s gift of turning a song into an audio-visual hug.

Experience, wisdom, talent, technical nouse and an absolutely undeniable nose for the catchiest tune of the day, Alan Gregg/Polite Company has hit it out of the park again. I hope to see and hear this all over the place, because it’s so enjoyable and awesomely deceptive in the depth of the message. Check the vid out on the You Tubes, and the audio via Spotify.

Rock on!