Tag: Callum Pitt

Top 30 Songs for January 29-February 4, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's10 Comments

Paramore maintain their firm grip on the #1 spot for a third week on my Top 30 with “This Is Why”, while The Star Crumbles‘ “Shadows in the Dark” holds at #2 for a second week. Taylor Swift‘s “Anti-Hero” (which recently spent eight non-consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100) moves up a notch to #3. Entering the top 10 are “The Loneliest” by Italian rock band Måneskin, at #9, and “Dance For Me” by talented Brooklyn singer-songwriter Sam Rappaport, at #10.

I’m thrilled to add two fantastic new songs I’ve fallen in love with this week: The first is “Transmitter” by British alt-rock band Sea Power. Though they formed in the mid-90s and have been putting out great music since 2001 (originally as British Sea Power, which they shortened to Sea Power in 2021 due to, in their words, “a rise in a certain kind of nationalism in this world – an isolationist, antagonistic nationalism we don’t want to run any risk of being confused with“, I only recently became aware of them when I heard their brilliant 10th studio album Everything is Forever, which was hailed by many critics as one of the best albums of 2022. It’s certainly one of mine!

The second debut this week is the dreamy “You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do” by Portland, Maine-based artist Darksoft. The song is from his latest album Beigeification, a gorgeous work I recently reviewed. It’s his second song to appear on my Weekly Top 30, the previous being “Wannacry”, which spent three months on my chart, and ranked at #84 on my 100 Best Songs of 2019 list.

  1. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (1) 3rd week at #1
  2. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (2)
  3. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (4)
  4. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (3)
  5. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (5)
  6. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (7)
  7. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (6)
  8. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (10)
  9. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (11)
  10. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (12)
  11. OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (8)
  12. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (16)
  13. DISORDER – Columbia (15)
  14. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (9)
  15. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (18)
  16. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (19)
  17. PAGES – White Reaper (20)
  18. KILL BILL – SZA (21)
  19. LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (14)
  20. THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (17)
  21. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (13)
  22. STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan (25)
  23. LUX ÆTERNA – Metallica (27)
  24. EVERYTHING I OWN – Dom Thomas (28)
  25. JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (29)
  26. SNAP – Rosa Linn (22)
  27. SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (30)
  28. WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (23)
  29. TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (N)
  30. YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (N)

Top 30 Songs for January 22-28, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's19 Comments

Paramore‘s defiant “This Is Why” remains at the top spot for a second week on my latest Top 30 chart, while The Star Crumbles‘ darkwave beauty “Shadows in the Dark” slides into second position. Entering the top 10 are “Trouble With This Bed” by Beach Weather, jumping five spots to #7, and “Night Bus” by Welsh singer-songwriter Caitlin Lavagna, moving up one spot to #10. Two songs make their debut: the beautiful “Just Before the Morning” by L.A.- based indie alt-rock band Local Natives, entering at #29, and “Sleepwalking” by American pop/punk rock band All Time Low, at #30.

  1. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (1)
  2. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (3)
  3. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (2)
  4. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (5)
  5. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (4)
  6. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (7)
  7. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (12)
  8. OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (9)
  9. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (6)
  10. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (11)
  11. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (15)
  12. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (13)
  13. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (8)
  14. LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (10)
  15. DISORDER – Columbia (16)
  16. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (18)
  17. THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (20)
  18. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (21)
  19. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (22)
  20. PAGES – White Reaper (23)
  21. KILL BILL – SZA (25)
  22. SNAP – Rosa Linn (14)
  23. WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (17)
  24. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (19) 21st week on chart
  25. STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan (26)
  26. UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (24)
  27. LUX ÆTERNA – Metallica (29)
  28. EVERYTHING I OWN – Dom Thomas (30)
  29. JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (N)
  30. SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (N)

Top 30 Songs for January 15-21, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's10 Comments

Well, never would I have ever imagined that Paramore would have a #1 song on my weekly top 30 chart, but their single “This Is Why” has made its way to the top this week. Though the Nashville trio, consisting of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro, have been around since 2004, I’ve never much cared for their music. But “This Is Why” really resonates with me, both musically and lyrically, and is now my current favorite song. Their first new single in four years, the defiantly honest song is the lead single from their forthcoming sixth album, also to be titled This Is Why.

About the single, Williams told NME “‘This Is Why” was the very last song we wrote for the album. To be honest, I was so tired of writing lyrics but Taylor convinced Zac and I both that we should work on this last idea. What came out of it was the title track for the whole album. It summarizes the plethora of ridiculous emotions, the roller-coaster of being alive in 2022, having survived even just the last three or four years. You’d think after a global pandemic of fucking biblical proportions and the impending doom of a dying planet, that humans would have found it deep within themselves to be kinder or more empathetic or something.”

Moving into the top 10 this week are “Out of My System” by British singer-songwriter and One Direction alumnus Louis Tomlinson and “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” by Australian band Crystal Cities. There are no new debuts this week.

  1. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (3)
  2. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (1)
  3. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (4)
  4. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (2)
  5. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (7)
  6. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (6)
  7. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (8)
  8. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (5)
  9. OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (11)
  10. LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (12)
  11. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (13)
  12. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (14)
  13. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (15)
  14. SNAP – Rosa Linn (9)
  15. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (17)
  16. DISORDER – Columbia (16)
  17. WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (10)
  18. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (21)
  19. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (20) 20th week on chart
  20. THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (23)
  21. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (24)
  22. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (25)
  23. PAGES – White Reaper (26)
  24. UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (22)
  25. KILL BILL – SZA (27)
  26. STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan (28)
  27. SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (18)
  28. CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (19)
  29. LUX ÆTERNA – Metallica (29)
  30. EVERYTHING I OWN – Dom Thomas (30)

Top 30 Songs for January 8-14, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's15 Comments

The ebullient earworm “Tonight” by French pop-rock band Phoenix featuring Vampire Weekend front man Ezra Koenig, holds at #1 for a second week. Sliding into the #2 spot is “I’m In Love With You” by The 1975, becoming their highest-charting song ever on my Weekly Top 30. “This Is Why” by Paramore moves up to #3, also making it their best-performing song ever on my chart. The haunting new wave gem “Shadows in the Dark” by The Star Crumbles moves up three spots to #4. Three songs make their debut this week: “Stick Season” by Vermont singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, “Lux Æterna” by metal rock veterans Metallica, and “Everything I Own” by Welsh singer-songwriter Dom Thomas, which I reviewed this past November.

Fun fact: Once again this week, there are three songs on this list by guys named ‘Sam’.

  1. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (1)
  2. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (4)
  3. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (5)
  4. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (7)
  5. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (2)
  6. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (8)
  7. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (9)
  8. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (10)
  9. SNAP – Rosa Linn (3)
  10. WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (6)
  11. OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (14)
  12. LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (16)
  13. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (17)
  14. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (18)
  15. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (19)
  16. DISORDER – Columbia (20)
  17. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (21)
  18. SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (11)
  19. CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (12)
  20. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (13)
  21. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (24)
  22. UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (15)
  23. THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (26)
  24. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (27)
  25. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (28)
  26. PAGES – White Reaper (29)
  27. KILL BILL – SZA (30)
  28. STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan (N)
  29. LUX ÆTERNA – Metallica (N)
  30. EVERYTHING I OWN – Dom Thomas (N)

Top 30 Songs for January 1-7, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's17 Comments

Happy New Year! A new #1 song to start off the new year, as “Tonight” by French pop-rock band Phoenix, featuring added vocals by Vampire Weekend front man Ezra Koenig, takes over the top spot. For those unaware, Phoenix formed back in 1995 in Versailles, while its members were all in their teens, and still consists of the original lineup of Thomas Mars (lead vocals), Deck d’Arcy (bass/keyboards/backing vocals), Christian Mazzalai (guitar/backing vocals) and Laurent Brancowitz (guitar/keyboards/backing vocals), with Thomas Hedlund serving as their session and live drummer since 2005.

“Tonight” is from their seventh album Alpha Zulu, which was recorded at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, a studio located within the Louvre Palace in Paris. About the collaboration with Koenig, band frontman Thomas Mars told NME “There’s always been a synchronicity with us and Vampire Weekend.” Guitarist Laurent Brancowitz added that he was initially hesitant of the format: “I was saying ‘show me one classic song that’s a duet’. I was resisting, and then Thomas came back with a list of duets that were classics and I had to admit I was wrong.” I think it’s a terrific duet, as Mars’ and Koenig’s voices harmonize together beautifully. I also love the bass and energetic drumming on the track.

Here’s a performance of the song by just Phoenix on the British TV show Later with Jools Holland, which nicely showcases Thomas Hedlund’s impressive drumming:

In other chart developments, three songs enter the top 10 this week: “Shadows in the Dark” by The Star Crumbles, “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift, and “Sail Away” by lovelytheband. Two songs make their debut: “Pages” by American rock band White Reaper, at #29, and “Kill Bill” by American R&B singer-songwriter SZA, at #30.

  1. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (3)
  2. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (1)
  3. SNAP – Rosa Linn (2)
  4. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (8)
  5. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (9)
  6. WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (6)
  7. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (11)
  8. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (10)
  9. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (12)
  10. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (13)
  11. SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (4)
  12. CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (5)
  13. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (7)
  14. OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (16)
  15. UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (15)
  16. LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (18)
  17. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (19)
  18. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (21)
  19. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (22)
  20. DISORDER – Columbia (23)
  21. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (24)
  22. PARTY4ONE – dwi (14)
  23. EDGING – Blink-182 (20)
  24. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (27)
  25. THESE ARE THE DAYS – Inhaler (17)
  26. THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (25)
  27. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (29)
  28. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (30)
  29. PAGES – White Reaper (N)
  30. KILL BILL – SZA (N)

Top 30 Songs for December 25-31, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's12 Comments

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and/or Happy Holidays everyone! We’ve arrived at the final week of 2022, and I like that it’ll be a clean break, with the New Year starting on a Sunday. British artist Art Block remains at #1 for a second week with his hauntingly beautiful “White Horses”. Rosa Linn‘s “SNAP” holds at #2 for a second week after spending two weeks at #1, and the jaunty gem “Tonight” by French band Phoenix, featuring the dulcet tones of Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig, climbs two spots to #3.

Three songs enter my top 10 this week: “I’m in Love With You” by The 1975, “This is Why” by Paramore, and “Offcuts” by Mount Famine, at #8, 9 and 10 respectively. Two beautiful songs by British artists make their debut: “Wild as the Wind” by HULLAH (which I reviewed last month), and “Mayfly” by Callum Pitt (which I also reviewed in November). It’s the second appearance on my Weekly Top 30 for both artists.

  1. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (1)
  2. SNAP – Rosa Linn (2)
  3. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (5)
  4. SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (3)
  5. CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (4)
  6. WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (8)
  7. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (6)
  8. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (11)
  9. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (12)
  10. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (13)
  11. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (14)
  12. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (15)
  13. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (16)
  14. PARTY4ONE – dwi (7)
  15. UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (10)
  16. OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (18)
  17. THESE ARE THE DAYS – Inhaler (9)
  18. LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (19)
  19. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (20)
  20. EDGING – Blink-182 (22)
  21. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (24)
  22. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (25)
  23. DISORDER – Columbia (26)
  24. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (27)
  25. THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (23)
  26. BAD HABIT – Steve Lacy (21)
  27. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (30)
  28. I LIKE YOU (A HAPPIER SONG) – Post Malone & Doja Cat (17)
  29. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (N)
  30. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (N)

CALLUM PITT – Single Review: “Mayfly”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews19 Comments

Callum Pitt is a thoughtful and talented singer-songwriter based in Newcastle Upon Tyne in northeast England. Inspired by the music of such artists as Elliott Smith, Julien Baker, Adrianne Lenker, Sufjan Stevens, The War on Drugs and Fleet Foxes, he creates, in his own words, “indie-folk with a grand, orchestral, chamber pop sensibility plus an alt-rock edge”. His music is characterized by lush harmonies, captivating melodies, and honest, meaningful lyrics touching on subjects like depression and anxiety, and social and political unrest, delivered with his soft, pleasing vocals. In other words, his songs are beautiful.

He began writing and singing songs in this teens, performing in pubs and small venues in and around Newcastle. He released his wonderful debut single “You’d Better Sell It While You Can” in 2017, and in the years since, he’s dropped an impressive number of singles as well as a four-track EP Poisoned Reveries in 2019. His beautiful second single “Least He’s Happy” has been streamed more than two million times on Spotify, with several other singles garnering over 100,000 streams. He’s also earned accolades such as the Alan Hull Songwriting Award for songwriters in 2019, and participated in the Fender Player Plus competition in 2022.

Photos by Daniel Stark

I’ve previously reviewed two of Callum’s singles, both in 2020: “Fault Lines” (which spent 10 weeks on my Top 30 chart and ranks at #84 on my Top 100 Songs of 2020 list), and “Sea of Noise”. Now he’s back with his first new music in two years almost to the day, a lovely, deeply personal single “Mayfly“. The song was written and composed by Callum, who sang lead vocals and played acoustic and electric guitars and keyboards. Additional musicians performing on the track include Luke Elgie on bass, Gavin Christie on drums, John Martindale on percussion, Ada Francis and Jodie Nicholson on backing vocals, Alex Saxon, who wrote and played the saxophone line, and James Leonard Hewitson on trumpet. The track was co-produced by Callum and John Martindale, who also engineered and mixed it at Blank Studios. Mastering was done by Robin Schmidt.

The song is essentially about adulthood, and Callum’s feelings of apprehension over the responsibilities he’ll face as a potential parent, fearing he might not be up to the task: “I’m 28 now, eventually not feeling like a teenager anymore and probably will have my own children in a few years’ time. ‘Mayfly’ talks about that worry I have that living with anxiety and bouts of depression will mean I will never be able to provide that emotional stability that children will require. It’s quite a hopeful song though, as I still have a few years yet, and mainly talks about the ambition that I’ll be more emotionally stable and at peace as the years go by. I often look at people in their 30s and 40s and think they appear very at peace, but maybe there are always relative struggles and difficult things to overcome, and we always have to cherish the highs and know that the lows are inevitable.”

“Mayfly” has a lively, upbeat melody that contrasts with the poignant lyrics. One of the many things I like about the song is how each instrument is allowed to shine. With every new listen I hear little instrumental nuances, like the perfect melding of acoustic guitar notes and delicate piano chords in the verses, and how the drums become more intense in the choruses, accompanied by glorious exuberant riffs and swirling keyboards. Callum’s smooth vocals are both comforting and heartfelt, backed by Ada and Jodie’s lovely harmonies, and Alex’s bold saxophone in the final chorus is the icing on the musical cake. It’s another wonderful song by Callum.

The lovely video, filmed and directed by Sel MacLean, shows Callum singing the song in various indoor and outdoor settings in an around Newcastle.

Those of you in the UK can catch Callum at one of these upcoming shows:

Saturday, Nov 19 – The Common Room of the Great North, Newcastle Upon Tyne

Saturday, Nov 26 – Songs From Northern Britain @ The Georgian Theatre, Stockton-on-tees

Saturday, Dec 10 – Avoid Shit Xmas Parties, The Central, Gateshead

Connect with Callum:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream his music:  Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud
Purchase:  Bandcamp / Amazon

Top 30 Songs for November 15-21, 2020

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30'sLeave a comment
  1. DOWNS – Roadkeeper (1)
  2. IS IT TRUE – Tame Impala (3)
  3. BLOODY VALENTINE – Machine Gun Kelly (4)
  4. CAN I CALL YOU TONIGHT? – Dayglow (2)
  5. ARE YOU BORED YET? – Wallows featuring Clairo (5)
  6. MARIPOSA – Peach Tree Rascals (6)
  7. GIANTS – Dermot Kennedy (9)
  8. COME & GO – Juice WRLD featuring Marshmello (10)
  9. MOOD – 24kGoldn featuring Iann Dior (11)
  10. IDENTICAL – Phoenix (13)
  11. TANGERINE – Glass Animals (14)
  12. THE LET GO – Elle King (15)
  13. MY OWN SOUL’S WARNING – The Killers (7)
  14. FEEL YOU – My Morning Jacket (8)
  15. IT’S YOU – The Frontier (12)
  16. VISITOR – Of Monsters and Men (19)
  17. AMOEBAS IN GLASS HOUSES – Moonlight Broadcast (18)
  18. BURN THE VISION – Amongst Liars (20)
  19. VIRUS – Vanity Fear (21)
  20. FIRE FOR YOU – Cannons (24)
  21. CAN I BELIEVE YOU – Fleet Foxes (25)
  22. MONSTERS – All Time Low featuring blackbear (17) 22nd week on list
  23. HOODIE UP – MISSIO (16)
  24. THINK I’M CRAZY – Two Feet (27)
  25. BEAUTIFUL ANYWAY – Judah & the Lion (26)
  26. SKIN AND BONES – Cage the Elephant (29)
  27. FAULT LINES – Callum Pitt (22)
  28. NERVOUS – Au Gres (30)
  29. LETTER TO YOU – Bruce Springsteen (N)
  30. TROUBLE’S COMING – Royal Blood (N)

Top 30 Songs for November 8-14, 2020

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30'sLeave a comment
  1. DOWNS – Roadkeeper (2)
  2. CAN I CALL YOU TONIGHT? – Dayglow (1)
  3. IS IT TRUE – Tame Impala (3)
  4. BLOODY VALENTINE – Machine Gun Kelly (4)
  5. ARE YOU BORED YET? – Wallows featuring Clairo (7)
  6. MARIPOSA – Peach Tree Rascals (8)
  7. MY OWN SOUL’S WARNING – The Killers (5)
  8. FEEL YOU – My Morning Jacket (6)
  9. GIANTS – Dermot Kennedy (10)
  10. COME & GO – Juice WRLD featuring Marshmello (11)
  11. MOOD – 24kGoldn featuring Iann Dior (12)
  12. IT’S YOU – The Frontier (9)
  13. IDENTICAL – Phoenix (17)
  14. TANGERINE – Glass Animals (18)
  15. THE LET GO – Elle King (19)
  16. HOODIE UP – MISSIO (13)
  17. MONSTERS – All Time Low featuring blackbear (14) 21st week on list
  18. AMOEBAS IN GLASS HOUSES – Moonlight Broadcast (20)
  19. VISITOR – Of Monsters and Men (21)
  20. BURN THE VISION – Amongst Liars (22)
  21. VIRUS – Vanity Fear (23)
  22. FAULT LINES – Callum Pitt (15)
  23. FRIDAY NIGHT – Heist At Five featuring Francesca Confortini (16)
  24. FIRE FOR YOU – Cannons (27)
  25. CAN I BELIEVE YOU – Fleet Foxes (28)
  26. BEAUTIFUL ANYWAY – Judah & the Lion (26)
  27. THINK I’M CRAZY – Two Feet (30)
  28. HALLUCINOGENICS – Matt Maeson (24) 23rd week on list
  29. SKIN AND BONES – Cage the Elephant (N)
  30. NERVOUS – Au Gres (N)
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0gUqKhyOm1bX8XJIzuFfze?si=-e0vdDGcQvCiUxM_EpY7yA

New Song of the Week – CALLUM PITT: “Sea of Noise”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews1 Comment

This past summer I had the pleasure of learning about the immensely talented young British singer-songwriter Callum Pitt when he reached out to me about his single “Fault Lines” (you can read my review here). A beautiful song with biting lyrics decrying governmental and media efforts to divide and polarize society, “Fault Lines” has enjoyed a 10-week run on my Weekly Top 30. The prolific artist has been releasing singles every two months in 2020, beginning in May with “Out of the Trees”, followed by “Fault Lines”, “Ghost” and now his latest, “Sea of Noise“, which I’ve chosen as my New Song of the Week.

Based in Newcastle Upon Tyne in northeast England, Callum writes folk-inspired alternative and dream rock songs influenced by such great acts as The War on Drugs, Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes. With his soft, pleasing vocals, rich harmonies, captivating melodies and meaningful lyrics, he’s captured industry attention and built a growing fan base since the release in 2017 of his gorgeous first single “You’d Better Sell It While You Can.” His equally beautiful second single “Least He’s Happy” has been streamed nearly two million times on Spotify, an astonishing feat for an indie artist. 

About his latest single, released on October 6th by label Humble Angel Records, Callum explains “‘Sea of Noise’ alludes to feelings of helplessness and hopelessness while feeling surrounded by quite a lot of negative things. Despite this, it mainly discusses the importance of having a person (or activity) which takes your mind away from that mindset, keeps it away and gives a feeling of having a form of control in life.”

With “Sea of Noise” Callum delivers yet another outstanding track for our listening enjoyment. The song is beautiful, with a sweeping back and forth melody driven by a powerful stomping percussive beat, and accompanied by a lush mix of shimmery synths and moody strings. But the highlights for me are his gorgeous intricately-strummed chiming and jangly guitars and enchanting falsetto vocals. His voice nicely transitions with ease from a gentle tenderness to soaring passion as he sings of finding solace from the surrounding din through another’s support: “The colours were running from all this distortion in my head / The speakers were humming, circling feedback in our ears / Swept by the currents further until the choruses blurred and your shout was a murmur / Felt your tug away from the crowds ‘cause, everything always seems so loud / While we’re drifting in this sea of noise flooding in our ears and our eyes.”

Follow Callum:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream his music:  Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud
Purchase:  Amazon / iTunes