Stunning singer-songwriter David Ayscue releases his staggering LP entitled Southwood Waltz. Highlighting a whimsical soundscape of dreamlike acoustics, the album gives listeners an insight into some of the singer’s most treasured pieces of nostalgia.
The LP opens with “New York.” Rich in storytelling and showcasing warm, tender vocals, this slow and sensitive track is a unique contrast from the busy hustle and bustle you expect from NYC living. The song's vivid lyrical imagery transports listeners through a journey of young adult life and it’s many memorable adventures.
Southwood Waltz also features the mid-tempo, funky, soulful song “Back In The Day.” It’s a personal narration of growing up in Marin County, California and reminiscing on Ayscue's younger years and his rampant wild shenanigans. "Back In The Day" also has a dual meaning, further narrating the feeling of being stuck as an adult. This highly relatable track illustrates the feeling of newness in everything experienced as a kid and how that magic gets lost as an adult. “As you get older, you've got to find new ways to bring that sense of novelty that we all had as kids,” Ayscue explains.
With deep, impassioned vocals atop gentle strumming of acoustic guitar, “Where We Land” describes the river/bay in New Hampshire where he and his brothers spent time boating in the summer. A happy place instilling a strong feeling of serenity, the body of water evoked a sense of wonderment in his world. A spot so naturally picturesque with clear skies and lobster buoys, he recalls jumping off the rusted bridge into beautiful salted water.
The now Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter and recent graduate of the University of Southern California crafts masterful songs that describe the loves, characters, anxieties and adventures that have colored his journey. Growing up in San Francisco he was exposed to a multitude of genres surfing through stations from classic rock and folk to Bay area rap.
An LP thematically portraying a crossroads of youth and adulthood, Southwood Waltz is a captivating walk down memory lane.
