Mailman is the professional name of singer, songwriter and producer, Jamie ‘Stan’ Stanley. The Sussex, UK artist got his start at local open mics when he was just 18. He made his international debut ten years ago with the release of his EP, “Long Walk Home.” Since then, the prolific songwriter and solo recording artist has produced an album, a double album, a slew of singles and now an album that compiles them along with some previously unreleased recordings.
S3ASON is the new album from Mailman, released December 18, 2020. The collection is borne of Stan’s ambitious plan to drop a new single each month in 2019, which he did. The intent was to release them as an album the following year. Then 2020 happened. As calendars around the world were thrown to the shredder, the Mailman album was delayed. That delay however gave Stan more time to refine the concept and put on all finishing touches.
The resulting record has both the cohesiveness of an album and the excitement of a collection of singles. S3ASON moves through lyrical subjects and musical genres with ease. At each turn, Jamie’s impeccable Pop/Rock vocals, songwriting skills and impressive guitar chops are the glue that pulls it all together.
From the Pop rhythms and Rock guitars of the modern protest song “When Is Enough,” to the moody Grunge of “Soulsucker,” Stan skillfully wields musical genres as tools in the studio. Tracks like “By Your Side” and “Sunshine Heart” have that perfect Pop bounce of the best XTC. On some songs the sound evolves as it progresses. For Instance, “Love’s Young Dream ” opens on a simple Country/Pop shuffle and builds to a big Rock ballad.
Lyrically, many of the songs on S3ASON deal with political and social issues. The subject matter ranges from the general social philosophy of the Brendan Urie-style rocker “An Hour In Your Shoes,” to the hopeful visions of “Rooting for Humanity.” The cinematic “One World, One Problem” opens with some very cool “Revolution 9” style experimentation. Soon the Mailman changes direction and delivers the beautiful “Kaitlyn,” a mix of folky guitars and a groovy Howard Jones inspired beat.
Listen to the album, below. You can also hear the track “An Hour In Your Shoes” on the Deep Indie Dive playlist. We had the chance to ask Jamie Stanley 8 questions about the past, the future and the new album. Check out his answers, below the video. And follow the links at the bottom of this article to connect with Mailman. Get on his socials and get in the loop on all of the current and future projects from ‘Stan’ the Mailman.
8 Questions with Mailman (Jamie Stanley)
The Static Dive: Where are you from?
Jamie Stanley: Horsham, Sussex, UK.
SD: How long have you been making music?
JS: Over 20 years.
SD: Who are the musicians involved in your project?
JS: I wrote, produced and played everything on the album except:
- “Sunshine Heart” features legendary session drummer Clem Cattini (who has played on over 40 UK number ones) and original Cutting Crew bassist Colin Farley on bass and orchestral outro, plus Dave Ashworth and Emma Gates on Backing Vocals.
- “On a Roll (Czechs In The Mail Mix)” features Sussex, UK artist Danny Dangerously.
SD: Who are your biggest musical influences?
JS: So many to choose from… 70’s prog, 80’s pop, 90’s grunge, rave culture, great songwriters like Buddy Holly, Don McClean, Neil Young, genius artists like Bowie, Prince… my writing and producing covers all of those, but most prominent band influences are probably Pink Floyd, Pearl Jam and Depeche Mode.
SD: What is your greatest non-musical influence?
JS: I’m a massive film and decent TV buff, I tend to approach music in a cinematic way as a result. Plus: Injustice. Beauty. Kindness. Love/hate etc…
SD: What inspired you to create this project?
JS: The second Mailman album ‘Yang Yin’ was a two sided double concept album. So with S3ASON, I wanted to do the opposite – 12 radio/streaming friendly singles, released one a month in 2019, plus bonus tracks for the album release last year. Then in between the last single and the album release, 2020 and Covid happened… so writing the new tracks and alternate versions took on a whole new dimension and it became about linking the pre and post worlds.
SD: What are your plans for the future (musically)?
JS: I’m working on an eight minute piano driven track with an orchestral flavour currently… this may or may not turn in to the 4th Mailman album, not sure yet…