Reminiscent of Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes, Paul Thomas Saunders has rediscovered the meaning of his craft – and the result is well worth the wait.
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Stream: “Heartlands” – Paul Thomas Saunders
Not many can credit Justin Vernon himself as the reason they rediscovered music.
Paul Thomas Saunders seemed to disappear from the music scene after his debut album in 2014 – but a surprise invite from Vernon himself to perform at the Forbidden Fruit Festival in 2018 helped Saunders to rediscover the value in his work. With the conception of his upcoming album, he now celebrates an incredibly special return to the scene with newest single, “Heartlands.”
I know the light, it hurts your eyes.
I see you’re tired,
Honey come inside.
I know the boy deep inside,
He never dies, just grows.
Just grows.
Till you see the light.
Till you hear the choir in the heartlands.
Feel that burning fire.
Did you get what you desired?
In the midnight hour.
Who’d have known…
If “Heartlands” is a sneak peek into what we can expect from Saunders next, it’s one that is worth the wait. Swooping down from great heights in sweeping and expansive imagery, the track rings with spacious synths and heartachingly gorgeous lyrics. “Heartlands” closes in on Saunders’ voice filling rooms elsewhere, as if echoing across canyons and leaving audiences feeling endless.
Speaking about the single, Saunders shared, “’Heartlands’ was the first song I’d written after about 2 years, since stepping away from music. It felt like a different kind of song-writing than I’d been used to in the past. It felt like a warm hand on my shoulder, like words of comfort from someone I trust at a time when I felt lost – I write these songs for me, but I hope they’re received as if being spoken to by an empathetic friend. I want them to feel tactile, embracing and open. This is the first song where I became self-aware of that, and it’s what I consider now not only when writing the songs, but when I’m producing the music too – it’s there, with every new sound and each instrument – they need to strive to fulfill this purpose.”
I guess you’re right
I never cried.
I thought I might from time to time
These ghosts are real in my mind
They never die, just glow.
Just glow.
Till you see the light.
Till you hear the choir in the heartlands.
Feel that burning fire.
Did you get what you desired?
In the midnight hour.
Who’d have known…
I love you.
Saunders has announced his newest album, Figure In A Landscape, set to drop September 10th via sevenfoursevensix. Self-produced and recorded by Saunders in his old spare room, Saunders sought to create a world that “felt alive and moving, ever changing and colourful.” The upcoming LP promises an album of epic pop-rock bedecked with rich sonic textures and huge euphoric climaxes.
Saunders’ 2014 album Beautiful Desolation released on Atlantic, and garnered praise from critics at The Guardian, Line of Best Fit, and The Times. With a strong backing on his creative capabilities, it is with no doubt Saunders will return to the warmest welcome – and a brand new fan base ready to embrace his music in all that it is.
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Stream: “Heartlands” – Paul Thomas Saunders
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