When the light bulb first went off that I wanted to pursue a career in music, it was because I knew I wanted to be a part of the effort in exposing brilliant musicians to an audience who needs their music. The first time I heard The Cure, my life was changed forever. I want to bring that feeling to other people, I want to help musicians change people’s lives the way so many have changed mine. When I stumble across amazing bands with small followings it lights a sort of fire within me and reminds me of why I wanted to work in the industry in the first place. New Desert Blues is one of my biggest sources of inspiration, their music has touched my life in so many ways and I wish more people had the privilege of hearing it.
It’s been a over a year since a friend of mine discovered New Desert Blues. Together, we sunk into the abyss of their absolutely unreal, completely underrated, and essentially unknown discography. For a band with 5,840 monthly Spotify users, an unverified twitter account with 2,012 followers, and nearly no virtual footprint- this band absolutely blows me away. Their highest played song on Spotify is Zachary,with a not-so-whopping play count of 152,263, but if you take a listen I guarantee you’ll understand why I’m saying they deserve so much more.
When I began listening to NDB, they only had a handful of tracks on Spotify, however, this year they have released their debut album, titled To Be My Own. What I found the most interesting about the band was that at the time I discovered them, every song was titled a male’s name. My favorites being Zachary, Matthew, and Adam. Zachary is one of the rare songs that I formed an instant connection with upon my very first listen. I’ve tried to research the lyrics in order to really figure out what the writer’s intentions were, and in an interview with Indie Is Not A Genre, they explained that each of their songs named after people were meant to tell a story. Despite being British, the band is heavily influenced by American music, and they have a special fascination with the American west. They explained that they wanted to create characters who lived there, and build stories around them. Their influences include Clint Eastwood films and musicians such as Johnny Cash.
While the band created stories based on their unique interest with the American west, music is subjective and I’ve interpreted their songs in my own way, as people tend to do. To me, this song is about change and the painful difficulties that can come with it. Periods of self doubt and loathing, brief intervals of hope followed by bouts of faithless despair, and countless prayers that everything will work out in the end. Lyrically, it’s a gloomy track, but it’s got a pop folk sound that could throw off a casual listener. This song is a staple to any and every “sad” playlist I’ve ever created. It’s been one of my favorite songs of all time from the very first listen, and I hope anyone reading this will love it as much as I do.
To check out the song, have a look at the music video- apologies in advance for any confusion it may cause you, I’m still trying to figure this one out myself.
BOYSDONTKRY 