Vince Leigh’s Single Review: Next By Jake Murdoch
Okay, let’s get one thing straight: when a teenager shows up with sixteen instruments, international gigs, and enough awards to tile a bathroom, the cynic in you starts stretching. You brace for overcooked virtuosity, for a kid trying to be a prodigy instead of a person. Then Next comes on and—damn it—the thing has a pulse. It kicks off with this bright, skipping groove that feels like your brain just opened a window. Guitars sparkle, drums nudge you forward, and suddenly you’re in a three-minute emotional chase scene. Murdoch sings like someone who still believes a song can fix a mood, maybe even a relationship.
That belief is contagious. The lyrics live in the glorious mess of young romance: mixed signals, dramatic declarations, promises to do better this time. When he blurts out a line about calling the police, it’s not menace—it’s the kind of oversized expression kids use when feelings outgrow vocabulary. It’s messy, human, and weirdly charming. What I like most is the lack of smirk. No meta, no wink to the audience, no I-know-this-is-cheesy disclaimer. He goes for it. Full heart, full hook. In an era where half of pop hides behind attitude, that’s practically rebellious.
And yeah, the chorus is sticky. The kind you pretend you’re too cool for and then catch yourself humming while making coffee. That’s craft, whether learned from mentors, radio, or sheer repetition in a bedroom with a guitar. Is it the final word on love? Of course not. It’s the sound of someone entering the conversation, loudly and tunefully. But pop has always run on new voices saying old things in ways that feel newly urgent. Murdoch does that. He reminds you that sincerity plus melody is still a viable formula for joy. Next doesn’t just suggest potential—it delivers a present-tense rush. If this is what he sounds like now, the real fun will be hearing what happens when life gives him bigger scars and better stories. For the moment, though, he’s got the most important thing: a song that makes you feel a little more alive than you did three minutes earlier. And that’s the whole racket.
