Singer/songwriter James Crowley lets the light in on his beautifully cathartic new single “By You,” an intimate reckoning wrapped in a sweet indie folk serenade.
for fans of Nick Drake, Novo Amor, Tom Speight
Stream: “By You” – James Crowley
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Singer/songwriter James Crowley is learning to let himself be happy.
For many, happiness doesn’t come naturally. We’re constantly worrying – about ourselves; about others; about the state of the world. From wars to natural disasters, to food and water crises, and more, there’s enough pain and suffering to keep us in a perpetual state of anxiety and angst if we so choose.
Still, though we may not often feel it, we deserve to find happiness in our lives, even if it means diving deep into our own depths in order to allow ourselves to smile. A sweetly beautiful and tender indie folk reckoning, James Crowley’s cathartic “By You” soothes, stirs, and inspires on its intimate journey toward happiness and letting the light in.
What did I do to deserve to be this happy?
With everything turning to dust
and the world crumbling around me.
My darling my baby it’s been a hell of a week.
My darling my baby I wish we could just sleep.
I’d dream of you.
Would you dream of me too?
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “By You,” the seventh song by James Crowley and the London-based singer/songwriter’s first release of 2023 (out now via Dialtone). Melding his gentle acoustic guitar against an atmospheric, ethereal backdrop, Crowley creates a safe space for introspection – welcoming all of us to dwell in our own depths as he slowly teases apart his own reluctance to feel good about the things in life.
And I’ll admit time to time the faces creep in.
It’s okay to grieve what we lose when love begins.
Keep your arms exactly where they are.
Fill the cavity of my changed heart.
And warm it through.
You make me new.
“Being at ease with happiness is a real skill,” Crowley tells Atwood Magazine. “I tend to catastrophize when everything seems on course, waiting for the ‘gotcha’ moment where it all unravels. Maybe it’s the remnants of old childhood catholic guilt, or maybe it’s just chronic overthinking – but ‘By You’ was a tonic that helped me resolve some of that tension and see the beauty in not knowing.”
And I’ll admit time to time the faces creep in.
It’s okay to grieve what we lose when love begins.
Keep your arms exactly where they are.
Fill the cavity of my changed heart.
And warm it through.
You make me new.
Crowley is not alone in his emotional experience, by any stretch of the imagination: Plenty of us feel insecure about the “good” things, and hold ourselves back from enjoying them either for fear that they might be taken away from us, or for guilt that we have them in the first place. Learning to let go of those weights and simply be happy is a skill we must continuously work on within ourselves.
Of course, it also helps to have a beautiful soundtrack to our reflection, and “By You” creates for its listeners a world of warmth and soul-stirring wonder. Crowley’s soft voice aches with intimate intent, glowing like a beacon of radiant light alongside his immersive finger-picked guitar pattern. It’s visceral; a cathartic folk-fueled cacophony within, where the light eventually drives out the torment and the storm settles its surge. By the time he gets to the end, Crowley has not only calmed his own soul, but he’s also given us plenty of reasons to smile inside and out.
A beautiful, raw, emotional seduction, “By You” promises to soothe our souls, stir our hearts, and inspire our own happiness. Stream James Crowley’s new single exclusively on Atwood Magazine!
Wound round the coil
Ready to be sprung
Do you know how
You end me with your endless tongue?
Hold me loosely
I go where I please
I go where
I choose
And I choose by you.
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Stream: “By You” – James Crowley
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