Wesley David, a singer-songwriter, has just released a new song called “Easy for You”. The music placed us in such a cheerful mood that we were able to let go of our fears and embrace a bright outlook. The words are meant to reassure us and make us feel hopeful. This level of writing quality would inspire listeners to fully immerse themselves in the milieu. In fact, the tone is kept upbeat, which will undoubtedly appeal to new listeners and draw them in to the song. The performance even enhances the compelling writing, which adds to the overall enthusiasm of the experience. Each phrase is delivered with so much energy and clarity that it successfully enhances the writing.
In terms of the song’s musical backdrop, the arrangement is particularly layered, with such attractive guitar melodies. I really liked how the melody was put together. It takes its own time to get to the chorus, which builds up well to the section and is stunning in how well it merges into the riff. Later in the song, the upright piano adds a brilliant light to the tune, which undoubtedly fills the room with positive energy. The drum and bass, in particular, are rock solid, ensuring that the pulse and bottom end remain prominent. The production sounds so complete, even with so minimal yet strong elements which has its own presence. The arrangement and overall composition have a lot of clarity. I’m sure the listeners would like being a part of the song’s atmosphere.
Here’s an interview with Wesley David, in which he talks about his experience with the song.
1. The atmosphere is enthralling. What were your ideas and processes while you wrote the song?
Many thanks! I come from an old-school Rock ‘n’ Roll background, and I’ve been a touring musician in the US with Piano bar music for a long time. In Piano bars, the idea is always to keep the audience’s attention – no matter what style of music (or how much they’ve had to drink..). I think I wanted to bring that vibe into ‘Easy for You’ and my new EP ‘Satori’ coming out this summer.
Last year, my brain said “you need a new guitar to write some new songs” and I said to it “OKAY BRAIN WILL DO” – No, for real though. After a fun process playing a bunch of models, I settled on a mint-green Fender Telecaster which just felt right, somehow. I think musicians can understand this; sometimes you just feel a weird spiritual connection to an instrument. ‘Easy for You’ and my other new songs flowed out of a crazy jam session I had one night last Autumn, where it felt like new riffs and chord patterns were just rolling out with no resistance. I had so many I had to make tough choices. This song became my favourite in terms of how much fun it was to play!
2. Every instrument blended together beautifully. What was it like to work on the arrangements?
Thom Flowers, the former producer for The Ataris and also Steve Perry (the original lead singer of Journey – I know, I couldn’t believe it either) was my guy for this song and 2 others. He is a wizard. And then a top drummer and good friend of mine Jake Hayden in Los Angeles recorded the drums at his own studio.
Thom actually came up with the ‘counterpoint’ guitar riff you can hear in the right channel of the song’s main part, which keeps recurring. We were going for something catchy to offset.
3. Tell us some intriguing stories about the song. Was it a quick or long process?
It’s fun to work with new people and get ideas you wouldn’t have come up with yourself. Thom helped me flesh out the structure of the song a little further, even though I wrote basically the whole thing that ‘jam night’ I mentioned above. We got the whole thing done in a full day’s session, minus the drums.
The song is a commentary on getting older, growing up, and coming to terms with yourself when you feel like hiding from life. Life isn’t easy. The pandemic was a shock to everyone’s system, our whole world is recovering. I found in myself a bizarre sense of wanting to both stay productive, but also procrastinate and pretend that becoming a more ‘whole’ person would just magically happen on its own, which is not how it works.
It’s also a comment on social media and Tech. The joke is that the person who says “JUST GO BE HAPPY” is probably drowning themselves in Instagram…in other words, they are more distracted than they are actualised.
4. So, what’s next? Anything you’d want to say about your upcoming songs?
Yes and yes. Very excited for 2 new upcoming singles, and then an EP release towards the end of summer called ‘Satori’ – the Zen Buddhist word for sudden enlightenment and letting go. I had a very conservative religious upbringing as a child and it’s been a long journey to a new way of thinking. I also spent a small lifetime in a career as a touring Piano bar player, and after making my first album during the Pandemic called ‘Never Late Than Better’, it’s been an emotional journey back to original music and songwriting as my true calling.
The new songs are somewhere between Oasis, Spoon, and The Killers. I think they rock. I’m psyched to get on the road this year performing and play to new audiences next year like the UK and parts of Asia.
5. What are you now listening to? Are there any artists or bands that particularly inspire you and may have influenced your artistic endeavour?
Weirdly I’ve been listening to so much acoustic based music like Sarah Jarosz, Redd Daugherty, Jose Gonzalez and others. I enjoy a great melody and smooth vibes especially when traveling, which has been non-stop since we started to reopen in the US last year.
I always come back to my roots though, and for me it’s 90s bands like Oasis and old school Rock ‘n’ Roll like the Stones, Beatles and Zeppelin. I’m also a closet nerd for bands like Rush and Yes, and power-pop/Indie like Spoon and The 1975. It’s a great time to be a music fan. Hopefully around the world it’s also a great time to be alive and to overcome what we have all just experienced, but do it together and with the sense that we share this world and music is a way of connecting with each other.
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Discovered via http://musosoup.com
