Ireland’s Garrett Anthony Rice is releasing “Purple Man (For Jimi)” on January 26th as part of a double A-side with “In The Night Time We Shone”. The track is from his upcoming double album Equinox, the first double album (18 songs) to be released by a debut solo artist as their second record in musical history. Rice released his debut album under the alias (i) CONSULT in October 2023, which was streamed in 93 countries and caught the attention of UK producer Chris Potter (The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, U2, The Verve/Richard Ashcroft) in late 2023. Out of 30 demos, 18 were selected and recorded throughout 2024 in the UK and Ireland. Industry professionals who’ve heard it are already calling it the record of the year. “Purple Man” celebrates Jimi’s genius while reflecting on the darker side of his life: always on the road, terrible financial decisions, bad advisors, and ultimately exhaustion and burn out. Rice says Jimi has been a fascination since he bought the vinyl LP “Jimi Hendrix Smash Hits” as a 12-year-old.
Surprisingly, this song about Jimi Hendrix is very stylistically and tonally different from a Jimi Hendrix song. The drum groove is straight ahead with no swing, and the guitar drives the beat ahead alongside it in consistent 8th notes. It’s reminiscent of the rock songs of the 2000s. But as the song progresses, some interesting dreamy textures begin to appear, and Garrett’s signature style starts to crystallize with it.
The Hendrix shoutout is evident in the title, but the track avoids the typical pitfalls of homage. Rather than imitation, Rice is in deep musical communication, absorbing the style and feel without attempting an exact copy. The cycling riff keeps everything locked into a steady forward push with a hint of softened Foo Fighters energy in the way it carries itself. Equinox drops later in 2026 on vinyl and all platforms.
