FTYFT Hot Press Premiere
Kildare artist Ross. A drops candid video for 'Flowing to You, Flowing Through’
The Irish musician grew his reputation as a respected songwriter through extensive radio coverage, televised appearances and his presence on the live scene and festival circuit.
Kildare singer-songwriter Ross. A (formerly Ross Breen) is sharing the video for his new single this week, titled 'Flowing To You, Flowing Through' and premiered below by Hot Press.
A reflective track with a decidedly alt-indie folk tilt; the song’s arrangement is deceptively simple at first, before lifting off to explore new territory at its halfway point. It's s richly elevated by ethereal synths and a lush strings section, with Ross' raw vocals reminiscent of Villagers, David Bowie and Father John Misty.
The beautiful love-fuelled song is earnest, yearning and ethereal in its storytelling. "My love for you, flowing to you, flowing through," he croons as strings elevate the atmosphere.
"After I'm gone/After the sun/transcending me unendingly/It is not fleeting, nor temporary/the only thing I know," he adds of his infinite and pure store of love for his craft.
The cinematic video clip, edited into black-and-white, shows the band and Ross A. recording the new single in a Wexford studio.
Produced with Gavin Glass (David Keenan, Paul Brady, Mundy, Jerry Fish) at Orphan Recording studio, the song expands on the easy-sounding template of Ross’ previous single 'Some Other Time, Maybe'. A sumptuous string quartet arrangement was added by Cormac Curran (Villagers, Hozier, John Grant, Lisa Hannigan).
The track's influences range from Bowie, Beck and Wilco to Bill Callahan and Father John Misty. Ross A. explains how 'Flowing to You, Flowing Through' came to fruition:
“This song is part of a collection developed during lockdown, a quiet couple of years for the artist community. Its first draft was actually shared in a WhatsApp group with some music pals where we’d send performances back and forth to each other in the absence of real-life sessions. I eventually brought it to the studio when normal service resumed. It was tracked with a live band at Orphan Recording in Wexford, where we also brought in a string quartet, who elevated it beautifully.
"Flowing To You, Flowing Through deals with the nature of being an artist and why I do it," the musician adds. "Songs that mean the most to me are those I feel I’ll be happy to leave behind. This is one. Although the lyric is explorative, its theme, that of valuing the permanence of love above all else, is uncomplicated.
In terms of sound, records like Neil Young’s Harvest, Bob Dylan’s John Wesley Harding and John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band were all on Ross A.'s mind during the track's penning.
"So much is brought to a song with a good band playing simply at its heart. A Bowie-esque element has been noted too, particularly as the song becomes less grounded halfway through, evolving into something more celestial. There is a lot of extraneous, oppressive noise in life, digital and otherwise, along with the common feeling of being overly-busy. Writing this was like creating a breather from modernity for myself”.
‘FTYFT’ acts as a natural successor to the dreamy-feeling 'Some Other Time, Maybe', a track which referenced artists like Serge Gainsbourg, Air, John Grant and Villagers alongside lyrical nods toward Leonard Cohen, George Jones, Patsy Cline and Bob Dylan.
Multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, producer and voiceover artist Ross A. received the Agility Award 2022. 'Flowing To You, Flowing Through' is his first release from a collection of work funded in part by the Arts Council bursary enabling artists and arts workers to develop their skills and practices.
Ross A. launches 'Flowing to You, Flowing Through' at the Workman's Cellar on August 25th. Get your tickets here for the event.o
Check out the black-and-white video below.
