With his long-awaited third album ‘Grand Plan’ set to arrive on August 21st through Communion Records, Dan Croll has now unveiled the new video for his latest single ‘So Dark’. Recorded exclusively in the backseat of an Uber and captured by visual collaborators Wild Honey Pie, the singer and songwriter croons his way through this humble and emotive rendition of his newest offering, as he takes a ride around his new home of Los Angeles, the inspiration behind his forthcoming full-length.
Speaking about the new video, he said, “I wrote ‘So Dark’ after an unverified ride home with some friends, we were having some pretty dark and funny conversations, I think that 1st verse tells it pretty straight. After that night we would take a lot of late night drives, exploring the neighbourhoods, picking up food and drink, it became a pretty important ritual of living here. It felt only right to film this video on the backseat driving around my neighbourhood and reliving that feeling/those moments.”
‘So Dark’ looks to explore the difficulty he found in fitting into his new environment through a lens of fuzzy guitars and space synths.
Explaining the motive he had for ‘So Dark’, he said, “ After a few months in LA I started to find my feet a little, but where I still lagged was on the social side of things. Everyone I met in LA seemed to be desperately happy, sugar coating everything, forcing humour out of fear to be seen as sad. It made me really miss home, It made me miss that dark British humour and the ability to laugh at yourself, no matter how bad it gets. ‘So Dark’ is about that search, and the moment that perseverance paid off to meet someone like-minded.”
Watch ‘So Dark’ – BELOW:
The album, ‘Grand Plan’ chronicles the 12-month period starting in February 2018 when Croll decided to up sticks and move to Los Angeles after the realisation that he might be becoming restless in Liverpool. Over the ensuing 12 months Dan turned his experiences into 20-odd songs, eventually whittling them down to a solid dozen chapters. Then, in spring 2019, he spent a month with the estimable Matthew E. White in Virginia bringing to life the songs in the inimitable Spacebomb country-psych-soul style. Each song tells a story, in narrative order.
Croll introduced us to the first chapter of the album ‘Grand Plan’ at the start of 2020 with the release of double a-side singles ‘ Yesterday ’ (an ode to opportunities missed whilst being mentored by national treasure Paul McCartney) and ‘ Stay In L.A .’ both recounting the beginning stages of a seismic shift in his life and the decision to relocate halfway round the world. After the release of his second album ‘Emerging Adulthood’, Croll, like many in the latter half of their twenties, questioned the very fibre of his being; career; relationships; life choices; future; so he upped sticks and moved to L.A. and hasn’t returned. The resulting transition to life in California, going back to basics with his songwriting and taking inspiration from the music that truly inspired him ( James Taylor, Burt Bacharach, Joni Mitchell) , many of which are part of Laurel Canyon’s musical heritage, bore the musical fruits which formed his new record and a new era for this prolific songwriter.
Speaking about the experience and his return to the music scene Dan explains, “ The past two years have been a rollercoaster, starting from scratch, alone in a different country, but I’m so happy to have come out the other end with this collection of songs. Feels great not only to be back on the music scene but to be doing it with songs that I finally feel represent the influences and music I truly love.”
Recently Dan launched a live stream companion to accompany his regular weekly ‘Special Delivery’ playlist. Taking place on his Instagram live, it’s a live listen along, where Dan plays some of his favourite tracks, old and new. The radio-show style live stream is a window into the inspirations behind the new record, broadcasting live every Sunday from his LA home studio.
Over the course of recent weeks owing to the worldwide lockdown, Dan Croll has reignited the ‘Dial Dan’ hotline – for those needing a mental escape during the quarantine. He’s accepting calls/texts / WhatsApp audio and messages from all over the globe every Monday. Already it’s seen some wonderful interactions with fans around the world. Check Dan’s social media for hotline hours – why not get involved and Dial Dan on +1-323-304-1701
In response to the global pandemic, Dan Croll has rescheduled his live dates to September 2020. See Dan Croll live:
8 Sept – London – Oslo, Hackney
9 Sept – Paris – Hasard Ludique
10 Sept – Amsterdam – Cinetol
11 Sept – Berlin – Curfew Bar
16 Sept – New York City – Rockwood 2
18 Sept – Los Angeles – Gold Diggers
Tickets on sale from www.DanCroll.com
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