photo courtesy of zachary sun
As an Elliot Smith fan boy, I have often had philosophical discussions with others and myself about the attraction to songs whose very existence is born out of deep pain and tragedy. I wonder how it squares with my sense of self and need to wallow in melancholia. I tell myself that there is, after all, always edges of hope laced within those songs but sometimes that really isn't true. I thought about this and other things when listening, when feeling the sadness and reading the backstory of singer-songwriter Ashton York and his latest purging and catharsis of "Awful Time". It is an expressly beautiful song about deeply personal subject matter. Sometimes I find it difficult to write about such extremely personal songs and so this is when I cop out. I always feel like it is not my place share the stories when those personal stories should come from the artist or at least Ashton's press notey stuff that I know he approves of. So here goes (the following Press notes are bracketed):
[Towards the end of a long bout of alcohol and drug addiction brought on by the sudden death of his father, Ashton York has written his most vulnerable record yet - a distinctly wistful track, “Awful Time” (out July 15), that expresses deep sorrow both lyrically and sonically as he documents the consequences of a selfish lifestyle filled with self harm, co-dependent relationships, and tremendous grief and sadness. York, a Bay Area singer-songwriter, explains that the song “was written at one of the lowest points in my adult life in which the self pity and self loathing I was living in took away from my ability to be there for others.” With brilliant candor and vulnerability, York bears it all, even in his most broken and beaten down state. The first verse of the song finds the indie vocalist lost as he sings with palpable poignance, “I’m scared and insecure. I tried to write a song, but the words came out all wrong.” While listeners never find out the specifics of where exactly it was that York went wrong, the sentiment he’s expressing is felt deeply and immediately.
York shares that “Awful Time” was a method for him to “express the remorse, regret and shame [he] was dealing with at the time, while acknowledging the pain I had caused some folks I loved dearly.” That genuine tone of acknowledgment and sincere contrite is both captivating and relatable. In the chorus he sings, “I’m betting you were having an awful time when I let you down,” while in the bridge he adds, “I’m betting you were having an awful time when I lost my faith.” This idea is magnified by the help of Kyle Crane (drums), Abby Gundersen (strings) and Greg Francis (producer). Through skillfully muted production and clever lyricism, York matches the melancholic ambiance of artists such as Adrienne Lenker or Sufjan Stevens, and stands up to par.
In sept 2021, with the help of close friends and family, York sobered up and resumed production on his upcoming full length record, Nightmare In Your Arms….“Awful Time” is the second single release ahead of this highly anticipated upcoming full-length album, slated to release this fall.]
York shares that “Awful Time” was a method for him to “express the remorse, regret and shame [he] was dealing with at the time, while acknowledging the pain I had caused some folks I loved dearly.” That genuine tone of acknowledgment and sincere contrite is both captivating and relatable. In the chorus he sings, “I’m betting you were having an awful time when I let you down,” while in the bridge he adds, “I’m betting you were having an awful time when I lost my faith.” This idea is magnified by the help of Kyle Crane (drums), Abby Gundersen (strings) and Greg Francis (producer). Through skillfully muted production and clever lyricism, York matches the melancholic ambiance of artists such as Adrienne Lenker or Sufjan Stevens, and stands up to par.
In sept 2021, with the help of close friends and family, York sobered up and resumed production on his upcoming full length record, Nightmare In Your Arms….“Awful Time” is the second single release ahead of this highly anticipated upcoming full-length album, slated to release this fall.]
"Awful Time" is sonically perfect. Ashton (to me) doesn't dress his pain and observations in abstractions, in vague poetry. That is not to say it is not beautiful, it is gorgeous in its declarations, so much so that it does not come off as maudlin. Yet, the sentiments held up on a pushed forward beat, embraced by lovely orchestrations and ultimately carried by Ashton's emotional voice hit you in the gut, give you chills if his relatable words hit dangerously close to your heart (as they do mine).
-Robb Donker Curtius
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THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6ZVxVvlmcUoBo5GYdBisy3
https://soundcloud.com/user-950282021/tracks
https://mobile.twitter.com/ashtonyorkmusic
https://www.instagram.com/ashtonanny/
https://ashtonanny.com/
Ashton York is a Bay Area singer-songwriter who draws from influences like Sufjan Stevens, Adrienne Lenker, Sparklehorse, Noah Gundersen, and Night Beds. His first full length project was released in early 2018 and was met with positive reception from indie music blogs and playlist curators with “Beach Song” garnering over a hundred thousand streams on Spotify and YouTube. York’s second full length project, “Nightmare In Your Arms”, is set for a fall ‘22 release following two singles this summer.
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Ashton York, lo-fi pop, orchestrated folk, folk indie, avant pop, bedroom pop, "Awful Time", alcohol and drug addiction, death, grief, sadness, storyteller, “Nightmare In Your Arms”, album,
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