Following on from luscious synth-pop single ‘I’m Not Alright’, John Joseph Brill continues his emotional outpouring with the fragile, indie ballad ‘A Place To Drown’. Set against a repeated refrain of delicate keys, JJB’s unique baritone reflectively narrates, “I wish that I could tell you that it’s you I’m thinking of, but it seems this is the only way I can.” While the instrumentation does fill out a little with feathery backing vocals, ebbing violins and light synthwork familiar to ‘I’m Not Alright’, the song doesn’t burst with life, instead remaining melancholic and understated. The song’s tone is very much in keeping with its subject matter, which John Joseph Brill explains thus: “As with all of the songs on the record ‘A Place To Drown’ is a break-up song, quite explicitly so. But for me it's also about leaving behind an enormous section of your life... the city I lived in, the people I grew to know, the rituals I had for myself. The place to drown itself refers to me, often in relationships I feel there's a danger that one can become an object of escapism rather than a partner..." - HT