TRACK OF THE WEEK: ‘PAINT THE DARK’ – ANDREW NEAL

Our ‘Track of The Week’ is from Liverpool singer – songwriter Andrew Neal. He’s just released his new single ‘Paint The Dark’ and we love it. Andrew was previously in The Stamp who supported The View on a 17 date European tour but is now following his solo career.

Here’s what Andrew had to say about the track:

How does it feel releasing the new single?

I’ve had the track for around 18 months and have been eager to release it but things got pushed back due to the pandemic. This unforeseen delay and the obstacles I had to overcome to get to this point make me especially proud of the track. It also captures my sound and style well and I’m keen to see how it is received. I’m also quite relieved as I have two more tracks recorded and I’m excited to now be able to get the ball rolling and start work towards their release as well.

What inspired you to write the song?

After experiencing some difficult times and lows points when I was feeling lost, I came through on the other side in a much better place and state of mind. This gave me the inspiration to write ‘Paint The Dark’. As much as it sounds like a cliché, I wanted to write a song to articulate how there is always light at the end of the tunnel. No matter how bad things may feel at the time, they really can improve and I wanted to capture that sense of encouragement and positivity. For me that’s what the song conveys – it’s a song about hope.

What artists inspire you?

Music has always been a massive part of my life and some of my earliest memories are of hearing certain songs or artists for the first time. I had a brilliant mixture of music growing up from Soul and Motown to folk and country and, of course, good old rock and roll. I later found the blues and, as I started out as a lead guitarist, I was heavily inspired by Jimi Hendrix. From a songwriting point of view I would say The Beatles and Paul Simon are probably the two standout influences. As I compose all of the music for my songs,  I think all of the artists I’ve grown up listening to, from a wide range of genres and styles, comes out in some way.

How have you found lockdown being an artist?

At first it was really difficult, as I had been gigging and performing for 9 years (from the age of 16). The contrast, to go from this to being completely unable to perform, was very challenging at first. Now, however, I feel like it has actually been a blessing in some ways as it’s given me the time and space to focus fully on my own songs. Thankfully, studios were still allowed to open at certain points throughout the pandemic (depending on the government guidance at the time), meaning I’ve been able to get 3 tracks (including Paint the Dark) recorded over the past year. That said, I do think that the pandemic has been very challenging for the arts as a whole and the impact on live music has been devastating. I played my first live gig in 18 months the other day and it was almost surreal to be back performing after so long but it really did make me appreciate it all the more. Hopefully live events continue to go ahead as we try and get back to normality over the coming months.

What up and coming artists are you listening to at the moment?

Being a musician from Liverpool, there is always up and coming artists on the scene. I would like to give a special mention to three of my close friends who also happen to be very talented musicians – Ben Burke, Jonny Taylor and Mick Williams. Be sure to check them out.

Make sure you keep up to date with Andrew Neal on Instagram at @andrew_neal94