Murdo Mitchell – ‘Aztec Jewel’ [EP] [Album Review]

UK-based indie singer-songwriter Murdo Mitchell recently released his EP, Aztec Jewel, produced by Chris Bond, who also collaborated on the writing.

In 2022, Mitchell released a series of singles, including “Lies,” “Jaded,” and “Your Skin,” amassing more than 29,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, along with hundreds of thousands of streams.

Embracing five tracks and two remixes, the EP opens with the title track, riding a contagious rhythm topped by an acoustic guitar and Mitchell’s deluxe, velvety voice, imbuing the lyrics with potent emotional intensity, a profound urgency full of aching passion. A definite earworm, “Aztec Jewel,” is at once haunting and irresistible.

Mitchell explains:

“‘Aztec Jewel’ is probably the most middle-of-the-road song I’ve written but it just felt like it should go that way and so sometimes when you write a song you just have to go where the song takes you rather than fighting hard with it and trying to pull it into something that it’s not.”

Other highlights include “Lies,” with its layers of indie pop blending with tinctures of alt-rock-lite as Mitchell parades the range of his chameleon-like voice, from sweet melodicism to a dazzling falsetto.

Drenched in dark sonic shadows, “Ghosts” travels on blanketing, spectral washes of sound, adding a portentous matrix to Mitchell’s evocative, soaring tones. While “Your Skin” rolls out on trembling coloration and then segues to rumbling textures rife highlighted by melancholic strings.

Murdo Mitchell

Mitchell’s voice has an alluring quality, a kind of supernatural charm or lustre that draws listeners in and captures them. Combined with his songwriting talent, the resulting amalgam is magnetic and compelling.

Mesmeric, almost hypnotic, Aztec Jewel establishes Murdo Mitchell as an artist to bask in and keep an eye on in the future.

Aztec Jewel Track Listing:

1. Aztec Jewel
2. Lies
3. Ghosts
4. Your Skin
5. Jaded
6. Your Skin (flora cash Remix)
7. Ghosts (WNDR Remix)

Run Time: 25:13
Release Date: April 14, 2023
Record Label: Icons Creating Evil Art