Belfast based songwriter Myles McCormack returned last week with new music, his first since last year’s ‘By Demons’. The new release features ‘One Day‘ and ‘The River Rises‘, two gorgeous examples of McCormack’s folk songwriting.
‘One Day’ is a study of grief, and in McCormack’s own words is “about making art for the sake of friendship, community and mental health”. A song with a real sense of intimacy, McCormack’s voice is accompanied by his own intricate guitar work, poignant strings and backing vocals equal to McCormack’s own from Romy McKeever. The result is gentle folk that washes over you.
The single’s other side, ‘The River Rises’, is a musical match with a little more urgency as McCormack sings of climate destruction and the natural power of the weather. Equally intricate as ‘One Day’, ‘The River Rises’ moves with a greater rhythm with winding guitar lines and persistent percussion.
‘One Day’ and ‘The River Rises’ are both clear examples of the easy-flowing poise McCormack instils in his music. Despite weightier subject matter, McCormack’s hushed vocal melodies combined with his virtuosic acoustic finger-picking give each song a quiet but nonetheless emphatic purpose.
