"Far off the banshee wail of police or fire sirens rose and fell, never for very long completely silent. Twenty four hours a day somebody is running, somebody else is trying to catch him. Out there in the night of a thousand crimes, people were dying, being maimed, cut by flying glass, crushed against steering wheels or under heavy tires. People were being beaten, robbed, strangled, raped, and murdered. People were hungry, sick; bored, desperate with loneliness or remorse or fear, angry, cruel, feverish, shaken by sobs. A city no worse than others, a city rich and vigorous and full of pride, a city lost and beaten and full of emptiness. It all depends on where you sit and what your own private score is. I didn't have one. I didn't care. I finished the drink and went to bed."

-- Raymond Chandler, 'The Long Goodbye'

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Every song on this collection was recorded in a single six-hour studio session on a cold night in 2013.
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PRESS:

"I threw [the album] at a taxi driver in a drunken haze"
-- Lameya Chaudhury, Photographer

“JB Newman and the Black Letter Band are amazing with the lead singers voice seeming to drip with sinister charm.”
— London Gig Guide

“...Shadow of a Dream is a delightfully different EP that is well worth your time. 'Atmosphere' is a word being bandied about to describe the EP and you can see why. There seems to be an element of showmanship in all aspects of the act, from the dramatic instrumentation and vocals to the sartorial state of the band and the associated artwork. They seem intent on forming something more than a regular touring band, an image, something recognisable as theirs.”
— Wake the Deaf

“...a prowling mixture of blues, rock n' roll, jazz and even lounge music. The word that springs to mind is "atmosphere", something this band must have in their veins instead of blood. 'Shadow Of A Dream' is all cinematic, subtle instrumentation that's plucked from a vintage jazz club for those with a taste for the darker side of life... like Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison finding themselves in the wrong building but deciding to play along with the band regardless... Sax that you wouldn't want to meet down a dark alley, even bigger guitar twangs and carefully considered and wonderfully fitting lyrics. Leave the cheesy music at home this Halloween and step out for a night on the underground with J.B Newman & The Black Letter Band instead. It'll be way more interesting.”
— The Sound of Confusion

“Haunting, lounge-y, and jazzy. Like a roadhouse band from a Lynch movie.”
— Ken Wohlrob, Brooklyn NY, Author of SONGS OF VAGABONDS, MISFITS, AND SINNERS

“What a great song!”
— David Wright, Radio Scilly

“The imagery is all you need to realise that this song is hardly likely to be 'Agadoo', and once it hits its stride then the layers of instrumentation come together, with the lyric "a hurricane of sound" being a fitting description. That tobacco-battered throat conveys plenty of passion as the brass and the piano add a lush backing that blends the worlds of blues, soul, rock and jazz. 'Black Lullaby' seems very much to be the product of some highly competent musicians who are all on the same wavelength, and what results is a very compelling song.”
— The Sound Of Confusion

“Smouldering, twisted, intoxicating”
— Tom Du Croz, London Gig Guide