The poetic title of Dean McMullen‘s new single ‘Clouds Hold Up The Sun’, was the first thing to catch our attention. Like the opening of a haiku, we already wanted to know how this story would end, even before we had the chance to listen.
What greeted our ears once we clicked play was a surprisingly upbeat piano, bright strings and soft drum pats then joined by McMullen‘s gentle and welcoming vocal. It’s message of looking on the bright side, but far from cheesy pop songs, this is a carefully crafted and subtle song that touches of elements of singer-songwriter style, neo-classical composition and folksy charm.
Even more endearingly is Dean McMullen‘s quiet and nervous journey into music:
“I’ve been writing songs, whispering along to my guitar as quietly as possible for years so others didn’t stand a chance of hearing what I was up to. I always loved songwriting and I don’t know why I felt so uncomfortable with it. I guess I was brought up in a rather stoic English family where any sort of expression, apart from being polite, or any kind of emotion, apart from a polite smile, was uncomfortable.
“Anyway, one grey, London afternoon, when I was sure none of my housemates were in, I sat down on my mattress on the floor and out came ‘Clouds Hold Up The Sun’. Something felt different about the song compared to my previous ones and I was chuffed. Chuffed enough to make a demo of it, chuffed enough to even show it to a few people and then chuffed enough to get completely carried away and vow to write a whole record. Introducing my first solo single, ‘Clouds Hold Up The Sun’.”
Now sharing his music with the world via Fierce Panda Records, McMullen also performed his first solo show this month in London. More to come from this one please!
Check out ‘Clouds Hold Up The Sun’ in our Folk This Way playlist.
Where to find Dean McMullen:
UNRECORDED 