Galen & Paul (that’s Simonon) – Lonely Town
I’m always curious to find out how former Clash members are spending their time. In the aughts, Mick Jones collaborated with Tony James on the delightfully quirky Carbon/Silicon (moreC/S please!). Paul Simonon released a couple of albums with the Damon Albarn led The Good The Bad & The Queen . And they both contributed to the Gorillaz ‘Plastic Seat Beach’ record. But overall, the twenty-teens and twenties have been relatively quiet.
So, a neat surprise a few weeks back when I was scrolling through Instagram and came across this sweet little tune, “Lonely Town.” The short version of the story is that Paul Simonon (bassman for the Clash, and the bass-smashing cover boy of London Calling) was staying on and off in Mallorca during lockdown – resting, painting, writing some tunes – when a mutual friend pointed Paul toward Gale Ayers back in the UK (daughter of Soft Machine’s Kevin Ayers). They knew each other from years past, and hit it off creatively.
Galen moved in with Paul for writing and recording (separate rooms!), and before you know it, they have a major label debut as Galen & Paul with Can We Do Tomorrow Another Day?
The album releases on May 19th, but a couple of singles are already out: “Room at the Top” and the aforementioned “Lonely Town.” It’s a catchy, laid back, simple little number that I’m enjoying. Check it out!
