The Shyp – The Fix | If you’ve been Jonesin’ for a dose of some gritty, heartfelt down and dirty blues, then look no further

Hailing from the cold, dark waters of Canada’s port city of Toronto – The Shyp have returned with a second single to stir the seas and your soul, featuring a more traditional blues-rock based offering called “The Fix”.  If you’ve been Jonesin’ for a dose of some gritty, heartfelt down and dirty blues, then look no further.

Evoking a smoky underground bar room, the song opens with the sound of a live audience, followed by a throwback slide guitar and harmonica intro.  But when it drops on beat one, it really drops. The band tightly slaps guitar accented snares over a disturbing low-end growl, and the story begins.  If you’ve ever felt the pain of heartbreak, and haven’t we all – this song is a perfect encapsulation of the desperate longings and sense of unfulfillment we may succumb to, especially as those cravings intensify.

But it’s also something else.  Through the use of symbolism, likened to an addiction – the boys describe being powerless to the draw of a now distant lover.  “Got a Jones.. Can’t leave the shit alone..” – the opening line grabs a hold and won’t let go. As if to echo the pain and passion of the vocal, the jointly intoxicating gritty lead guitar is masterfully woven between each lyrical passage.  The song writing and phrasing choices here are a definite ode to the traditional Blues form with a repeat of the opening line, which is then followed by a lyrical bridge to die for.

Here, the group cleverly switches to a second form of symbolism for being ‘broken’.  The bridge rises and repeatedly pronounces the theme of feeling broken to great effect.  Again, written in that time-honoured style, the stanza ends with the title, before opening up to a roaring display from the band.  Drunken guitar licks that mimic Keith, alongside a frantic wailing harmonica solo – each speaking without the use of a single lyric, until the second verse snaps you back into the story.

The darkness and desperation mounts, as the lyrics descend into manic reflections on the impacts of heartbreak – culminating in the line “Cut me slow.. Let me bleed”.  What’s truly impressive here is that despite how dark that sounds, it never really feels that way. Instead, whether it’s the Blues format, the playing of the band as they pick up around each other in the second verse, or just the nature of love and loss – there is a sexiness or even romance around the pain being expressed.  As sick as it might sound, who wouldn’t want to be missed like this?

Sometimes, you just need a Fix.

When the trip is over, there is no known resolution.  The last lyric is “I’m Broken, my love – and ain’t no Fixin’ This”.  And let’s be honest – there are lots of metaphors for times like this.  One that comes to mind is “If you love something set it free. If it comes back, it was always yours.  If it doesn’t, it never was”. The other thing that comes to mind is that Metaphors are great, for those not actually going through it.  But for those that are going through it, like The Shyp are here – those metaphors offer little consolation. Sometimes, you just need a Fix. Get yours below!

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