Prolific songwriter John Sterry, aka BILLIONAIRE, will release his new EP, ‘Cheap Credit!’ through Blue Mary Records on 31st March. Fresh from touring the US while fronting seminal post-punk group GANG OF FOUR, BILLIONAIRE has supported BØRNS in 2016, and has received recent support from BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens, BBC Radio London’s Gary Crowley and Abbie McCarthy from BBC Introducing in Kent. With a string of tour dates lined up in support of the EP’s release in March, BILLIONAIRE is ready to share his wry, cutting brand of lo-fi electronica with audiences across the UK and beyond.
Although sonically inspired by a range of leftfield musicians such as Metronomy, Can, Talking Heads, Jonathan Richman, and Rexy, on ‘Cheap Credit’ it is another of BILLIONAIRE’s heroes, Tom Waits, whose influence shines through in the witty, sardonic songwriting. On first single “Reasons To Be Fearful”, BILLIONAIRE presents a surreal list of concerns, from “man-eating spiders” to “great white sharks off the Southeast Coast”, before directly addressing today’s zeitgeist with allusions to “Russia getting bold” and “Sharia Law”. The track is smart and scathing, irreverent and profound, and it sets the tone for an album that will reward listeners who value songs with real lyrical substance, as well as impeccable minimalist style.
Although sonically inspired by a range of leftfield musicians such as Metronomy, Can, Talking Heads, Jonathan Richman, and Rexy, on ‘Cheap Credit’ it is another of BILLIONAIRE’s heroes, Tom Waits, whose influence shines through in the witty, sardonic songwriting. On first single “Reasons To Be Fearful”, BILLIONAIRE presents a surreal list of concerns, from “man-eating spiders” to “great white sharks off the Southeast Coast”, before directly addressing today’s zeitgeist with allusions to “Russia getting bold” and “Sharia Law”. The track is smart and scathing, irreverent and profound, and it sets the tone for an album that will reward listeners who value songs with real lyrical substance, as well as impeccable minimalist style.
‘Cheap Credit’, a self-produced EP that was mastered at YiaYia Studios is a collection of 5 original songs that marks a shift towards progressive beats and richer production, while still preserving BILLIONAIRE’s uniquely skewed social commentary and sharp sense of satire. The new EP builds on BILLIONAIRE’s previous offering (the stellar ‘Fine Minds’ EP) by developing rich, interesting musical textures – from the major-key synth lines of “Reasons To Be Fearful” to the dark backbeat of “World Loves A Trier” – and further showcases Sterry as a compelling, idiosyncratic voice on the contemporary British scene, whose work is full of humour, anger and pathos.
Watch the video for ‘Reasons To Be Fearful’ here.
Billionaire Upcoming Shows:
29th March – Discovery 2 Showcase, 299 The Venue, London
29th April – City Sound Project @ Westgate Towers, Canterbury
27th May – Unfest, Tunbridge Wells, Forum Main Stage
15th July – Zooquarium Festival, Hasting Pier