Andrew Patterson’s EP, Pave the Road, is composed of four tracks. His music is accompanied by guitar in a style mostly freed from sounds effects. It is quiet, charming, and extremely pleasant to the ear. Two things caught me when I started listening to the EP. One was the general theme which is that of travel. And of course there was his voice. Andrew has a very nice tone of voice and a smooth way to deliver the lyrics. At times, lines follow one another in a melodious flow, a bit like the quiet stream of a river.
It is refreshing to come back to a ‘pure’ sound. A guitar and a voice, pure and simple, is the combo you would usually find in pubs and lounges – relaxing and warm-hearted places in Northern Ireland.
‘Surely Not’ is a smooth and soothing way to begin this EP. The melody is comforting, it’s a song about taking a leap of faith and go see the world with your better-half. It’s about not being afraid to try, even if you fail. As a restless traveller, I can identify to the lyrics – the need to move but of course the homesickness that catches you from time to time. There’s a certain nostalgia in the track that I find enjoyable.
‘Charlotte’ is a song-poem to a dear one who you left behind when you went on travelling. It’s an open love letter about the struggle you experience when you feel the urge to move but can’t quite free yourself from the people you’ve always known. On the one hand, you have the need to wander, on the other the promise of coming back. As he sings it: “I will return to you, maybe not quite today”. Coincidentally , this is usually what I say to people when they ask me if I’m ever going to go back to my homeland.
“Keep your head on your shoulder and remember where you’re from”. With ‘Old Shoes’, you’ve been on the road for a while now and the honeymoon period is over. You’re still dazzled by your journey, but you look back from time to time, remembering what it’s like at home.
‘Dandelions’ is about memories – when you have been away from home for so long and you wake up one day and realise ten years have passed. It is a very quiet track to describe the violence with which nostalgia hits you without warning. At that moment, you cling on those tiny memories and they are moments of perfection to you.
With ‘Surely Not’, you are fidgeting, impatient to start your journey. It goes on, and on, and you have the time of your life until you start missing home. Your journey ends with Dandelions, when you have finally settled somewhere and it’s great because you have seen so much, but you cannot help but remember what it’s like where you come from.
Andy’s guitar and smooth voice make Pave the Road a truly enjoyable EP with meaningful lyrics and an all-time theme. The red thread that binds all the songs will make you travel with him as you experience all the different emotions that come upon you when you are on the road.
STANDOUT: Dandelions
SOUNDS LIKE: Nate Ruess | Joseph Arthur
