Teddy Serkin is an up-and-coming Blues Rock singer-songwriter who is looking to expand his horizons, both sonically and thematically. His latest single – ‘Trying To Live’ – was released across all platforms on August 6th as the follow-up to his critically acclaimed recent EP ‘Twins’ that saw the light of day on July 30th. Opening with gentle yet industrial sounds on its first track ‘Homeless Strange’, bolstering through the rich history of synth-pop on ‘Waterfall’ and finishing off with a dazzling array of disco influences, ‘Twins’ is a mission statement of the versatility of the artist and his command over different styles that he ambitiously subverts to hack his targets.
Despite Teddy Serkin’s ambitious goals to establish a diverse musical range for himself as an emerging artist, music is a relatively new endeavour for the productive character because, by day, Teddy Serkin is an engineer, scientist and university lecturer with a PHD qualification who has only been making music since 2020. Outside of this career path, Serkin has years of experience as a racing driver, table tennis player and a football athlete with an interest in winter sports like Skiing in his spare time. With a background unlike anybody else, Serkin brings a unique range of different influences to the table which is heard on full display on his recently released ‘Twins’ EP.
A classic break up song with the powerful influence of Scott Walker and Bruce Springsteen running through his veins at a melodramatic pace, ‘Trying To Live’ quickly grows from strength to strength as the raw and unpolished vocals mix with the gritty rock ‘n’ roll melodies and the rapid fire Hip-Hop delivery of his lyrics at an alarming rate. Singing of anguish and heartbreak with a sense of deep reflection instead of bittersweet nostalgia, Serkin establishes an emotional core with the soft Piano-led opening before quickly expressing his feelings of disorientation amidst change as grit is pushed to the front of Serkin’s choral end. The song starts as it means to go on.
Running through his ethereal keyboard work and plunging straight into the one-two rhythms of abraded lead guitar riffs and percussive hand claps that would feel right at home in a live set performed by Ndidi O and The Black Keys, Teddy Serkin cuts straight to the core of his emotions as he seeks comfort by the end of ‘Trying To Live’, cementing himself as an entirely relatable songwriter. You can connect with more of his potent work by checking out ‘Twins’ anywhere now.
Words by Jacob Braybrooke
Follow Teddy Serkin on Social Media