You’re probably thinking, “hold on, weren't you just talking about Raleigh Ritchie’s new song the other day?”, and yes you’d be right, it was last week in fact that we highlighted the anxiety-soaked alternative R&B track ‘Sicko’. It would also appear that at this time of year, Raleigh Ritchie is the gift that keeps on giving as he shares not one, not two, but three brand new songs. All three are good, great actually, but the one that has blown us away is ‘StraitJacket’. Jacob Anderson’s vocal abilities shine out here, taking on romantic, soulful tones backed by melodious keys and minimal synths. The reserved approach is lovely, but it wouldn’t be Ritchie if he didn’t mix things up. That’s exactly what happens when he launches into a bold chorus; those honeyed vocals backed by an orchestral assembly, sample pads included. Although ‘StraitJacket’ comes across as overtly celebratory for the most part, like predecessor ‘Sicko’, Ritchie also embraces the abnormal. The euphoric instrumentation gives way to a verse of spoken word which is particularly revealing. Introduced by rolling violins and a mocking cuckoo clock, Raleigh speaks out: “The devil’s in my head, stirring up a mess, taking advantage of my unsteadiness, my readiness for death.” Wow, what a line! With so much new music on offer, we probably don’t need to explain that it’s all from an EP, titled Mind The Gap and out now. - HT