In a world of extreme poverty and extreme wealth, of increased liberties and incredibly inequality, of reality tv and social media superstars, of fake news the all-too-real disasters spread across screens of all sizes, it’s no wonder that, as Nick Mulvey sings, “we get lost in comparison.” It’s a symptom of our modern society that with so much information and opportunity at our disposal, we are ignorant to the fact that we’re already “kings of bliss, begging for misery,” and we should wake up to the reality that for many across the globe, life is much less settled and content. The British singer-songwriter offers the suggestion through his latest single, ‘Mountain To Move’. That change begins from within - “wake up now” he rhythmically repeats, bringing his message home. There’s no high horse moment here, as Mulvey switches the “we” to “I” to recognise his own misgivings. The overtly upbeat acoustics of ‘Mountain To Move’ might seem like an unlikely basis for such a rallying cry, but it follows the theme of heart-breaking narrative ‘Myela’, to become a song of motivation, rather than admonishment. The song also introduces the title of Nick Mulvey’s second album, arriving three years after his highly-praised debut album First Mind. Wake Up Now will be released on September 8th via Fiction Records. - HT