Daiana Feuer on July 18th, 2018

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California native James Clifford has been through a few band names since last year’s EP, “Julian Jasper,” shifting from Julian Jasper to Modern Howls and now on to Primaveras, his latest incarnation. “Better Off” introduces his debut full-length, “Echoes in the Well of Being,” to be released Sept. 28. The song kicks off with a nod to the Isley Brothers’ “Footsteps in the Dark.” Clifford says, “I wanted it to be fairly obvious who I’m paying homage to in that intro,” citing old-school R&B as an inspiration to his music. The frankness of his vocal delivery is reminiscent of the Pet Shop Boys, and the album as a whole draws from various points on the spectrum of rocky pop of the ’60s through the ’80s. Lyrically, “Better Off” may have originated with the dissolution of a relationship, but Clifford says it goes beyond that. “While most people will immediately interpret it as a break up song, I see the core sentiment as trying to grow up and move on from any sort of worn-out relationship.”

||| Stream: “Better Off”

||| Previously: Ears Wide Open: Julian Jasper