Last Romeo

Last Romeo is a song by British recording artist Jack Stevens and was the second single to be released from his fifth studio album ‘Close Encounters’.

Background
‘Last Romeo’ was the final track to be written for ‘Close Encounters and has been described by Jack as a love song to his career and a nostalgic look back at pop music and culture of the late 2000’s with references to Top Of The Pops and Nobu where Jack was often photographed. The track is notable for it’s melancholy and more ambient sound which is contrast to the album’s lead single ‘Masc For Masc’ and showcased a more mature sound for the singer, while still keeping his trademark tongue in cheek lyricism.

‘Last Romeo’ was officialy confirmed as the second single from the album in late January and was scheduled for release on February 5th, 2021 in a chart battle against Jack’s friends Indigo Peak. Confirmation of the release was initially met with confusion as it was sent to radio alongside another track from the album ‘Slave To This’ which would eventually be downgraded to a promo single. Ahead of the single release Jack took part in a highly publicised TV performance on ITV’s Dancing On Ice which saw him skate with Olympic champions Jane Torvil and Christopher Dean while performing the track.

Music Video
An accompanying music video for ‘Last Romeo’ was filmed on the grounds of Jack’s Cotswolds home in late September and marked Jack’s directorial debut. In an exclusive interview with DIY Magazine Jack commented that the restrictions around the coronavirus pandemic and difficulty in hiring crew and complexity of social distancing made the choice to direct the video a “no brainer”. The concept of the video was Jack driving around the beautiful countryside in a beautiful vintage car, the video features a number of close up and intimate shots to give the viewer the feeling of being on the journey with Jack.

Reception
The video for ‘Last Romeo’ was met with fairly positive reviews from fans and critics, many praised the stripped back visual being in stark contrast to Jack’s usual high energy and glossy visuals.

Digital
01. Last Romeo (Knobfeelers ‘Shake Your Speare’ Mix) 02. Last Romeo (Knobfeelers ‘Lothario Extra Love Length’ Mix) 03. Last Romeo (Indigo Peak ‘Star-Crossed Lovers’ Mix) 04. Last Romeo (Neoncity Remix) 05. Last Romeo

7" Vinyl
01. Last Romeo 02. Last Romeo (Knobfeelers ‘Shake Your Speare’ Edit)

Critics Choice Digital EP
01. Last Romeo (Critics Choice Awards Version) 02. The Money Shot

Critical Reception
‘Last Romeo’ as met with a positive response from fans and critics upon release of the ‘Close Encounters’ album with it’s ambient and atmospheric sound being widely praised as showcasing a different side to the star and showcasing a stronger vocal than often expected of the singer. After the release of the album fans of the singe flooded his social media channels asking for the track to be the official second single.

Chart Performance
‘Last Romeo’ peaked at number two on the official Urapopstar singles chart, where it stayed for two weeks and has been certified Gold for sales of 418,264 copies.