Returning to 2023 with a poetic and heartfelt ode to love, yearning and finding peace in uncertainty is James Crowley with “By You”. Throughout, layered guitar melodies and harmonizing vocals interacting with each other that express a perfectly formed ballad leaves you in an easy state of mind. The new single comes following his beautiful late 2022 release “Kerosene” which matches his sound perfectly with rainy late-night drives. There are subtle, indie-folk melodies and gorgeous serene vocals coursing throughout the track causing an emotive response for the listener.
With inspirations such as Julia Jacklin, Laura Marling, Bon Iver, Alt-J and Nick Drake it becomes easy to understand where his subtle songwriting style comes from. Speaking on the inspirations and ideas behind the new single, Crowley writes “I tend to catastrophize when everything seems on course, waiting for the 'gotcha' moment where it all unravels. Maybe it's the remnants of old childhood catholic guilt, or maybe it's just chronic overthinking – but ‘By You’ was a tonic that helped me resolve some of that tension and see the beauty in not knowing."
“By You” from James Crowely is available now on all streaming platforms.