Jamie T’s debut album is old enough to watch Superbad

Orchestrated in the age of Lily Allen and post-Libertines, Jamie T’s debut album Panic Prevention still holds up today, 15 years after its release. Seamlessly blending genres from indie to rap with elements of punk and ska, the album has a distinct sound that seems like it could only have come from mid-naughties London. With Arctic Monkeys dominating the North with sagas of life in Sheffield, Jamie T (short for Treays) cornered the market for tracks about life in the capital. 

The Wimbledon-born artist paints a picture of teenage confidence in one of the biggest cities in the world. This is seen explicitly in stand-out track ‘Sheila’. An indie club night would be non-existent without it. ‘Sheila’ tells a depressing trilogy of tales with the help from poet laureate John Betjeman who features on the track in the form of a sample of his poem ‘The Cockney Amorist’. Utilising my favourite musical technique, samples of spoken word on a track, ‘Sheila’ rightly takes its place as probably the most famous song from the album and a mainstay in hundreds of indie playlists. 

Also using my favourite technique is one of the only songs that has ever made me cry – ‘So Lonely Was The Ballad’. The sample in this track is a recording of a tape that Treays used to use to help with panic attacks, hence the album title. It is this sample at about two minutes in that always gets me, “people who have panic attacks often feel that they should be able to deal with them / And indeed the resources you need to deal with them are already within you. / It’s just that sometimes the appropriate responses to a particular situation / Are not immediately accessible”. The song is ultimately very personal and Treays uses several different synths that are each constant in different parts of the track, a calming listen. 

With only a bass, some guitars and drums, one or two synths, and his voice, Panic Prevention is an album that you can imagine being played live. The tracks range from the bare minimum of vocals and the bass guitar in ‘Back In The Game’ to an absolute maximum of the full band in ‘Operation’. Both extremes are perfectly produced. ‘Back In The Game’ is a personal step back from the bounciness of some of the other tracks on the album, while ‘Operation’ edges into global geopolitics, preceding Declan McKenna but never reaching his extent of protest. 

This album, paired with Gone Now by Bleachers are my two favourite albums. Both for their relatability and personality. Shared experience is helpful to hear in music and relatability is one of the main things that draws me to songs. Panic Prevention does this in droves, an album about dealing with anxiety and growing up. Here’s to another 15 years.