Graham Coxon – Alright Review 

Alright, not to be confused with the other song from fellow 1990s legends, Supergrass. Alright, the Graham Coxon single used to promote his album, Castle Park, has a much slower tone and a nicer tempo. Shining lights affect the lyrics, but they also shine bright on Coxon as a vocalist, rather than a guitarist. He is a dab hand at both, though the latter is what often wins out when listening to his performances with Blur and The Waeve. Alright is a chance to hear the light and lovely work Coxon can make, and it’s a lovely treat. It captures that spring-to-summer transition so perfectly, though that could be a case of it being that period right now. Alright benefits from its surroundings and the context of the times in which it releases, as most songs do. But some songs, like the recent works of Chris Brain, are totally connected to the seasonal experience.  

Coxon has a little flicker of that with Alright, though not as strongly tuned to the modern day, given these tracks were written over a decade ago. They still hold a vibrancy, though, and there is no doubt a little touch-up here and a flicker of re-recording there. It’s what keeps the song that little bit sharper, a tad stronger, than what it could have been had it immediately followed A+E. That distance is crucial, and the little slice of life sounds that have come to pass on Castle Park do shine through. It’s a subtle story, Alright, light and nice. A bold choice for a single, but it does capture the 2010s sound Coxon had crafted. His soft mod influences are even softer here than they were on lead single, Billy Says, but there’s an acoustic beauty at play across Alright. There’s a melancholy found throughout Alright that lingers on the mind. Coxon has managed to slip it into place and hides it well with the instrumental optimism. That acoustic guitar is a neat cover for the first few listens.  

But listen to what is, in effect, “alright” according to the protagonist. Breakups, moving on, and this sense of time freezing that person in place is what is deemed alright. It’s a hidden heartbreaker, a moody little song disguised as an upbeat, jovial piece of work that’s reminiscent of Modern Life is Rubbish. Not in tone or style, but in how the real message is smuggled into place under the pretence of optimism. It’s sharp work overall from Coxon, who has done well to maintain the sound of the times while also keeping it relevant to his current projects. These are not jazz-heavy powerhouses, nor are they the liberated perspectives heard on Blur’s latest, The Ballad of Darren. What this is an opportunity to hear is Coxon writing up regrets in a way that keeps it all light and loose.  

There’ll be those who listen to this and have felt that “is what it is” feeling present on Alright before. A rough undertaking to have to deal with, but one that’ll no doubt linger on the minds of those who are affected by it, as Coxon has been, if Alright is to be believed. There was a sense from Billy Says that this would err on the side of upbeat, and a streamlined, positive thrill would take centre stage. Not so, with Coxon firmly showcasing how life and love can intertwine in a strange, grey spot of neither high nor low feelings. Alright features an acceptance borne from fatigue and exhaustion. Not out of active choice, but this desire to move on because it’d be torment to continue thinking on it. Sharp work from Coxon, though that’ll not be a surprise to those who know his work well.