Alex Bayly - 'Distance'

London-based alternative folk singer-songwriter Alex Bayly hits home with his introspective new single, ‘Distance’.

Alex Bayly’s ‘Distance’ is the perfect song to settle you into the winter season. A little bit magical in its ambient and atmospheric synths and electric guitars, a little bit chilly in its glacial strings and warm and cosy in Bayly’s deep, rich, ethereal vocal. Bayly channels vintage folk influences in his music from the Nick Drake era, adding a contemporary twist that will appeal to fans of indie rock in the vein of The National and the contemporary folk stylings of Benjamin Francis Leftwich. A combination which is executed with a timeless beauty.

Although aesthetically pleasing, ‘Distance’ combines fleeting moments of euphoria with solemn and thought provoking lyricism, as the song philosophises the effects of the human race on both the planet and how we interact with one another. As the track reaches its poignant chorus, hope for change seems far away as the narrator addresses an unknown person and laments, “You look in the distance and you say, we can’t have it any other way’. Bayly leaves the context and meaning of this narrative open to interpretation, making it relatable to each individual’s experience with the song, and the relationships / circumstances in the their own lives.

’Distance’ follows the viral success of Bayly’s self-released song, ‘New America’ (100K+ streams) and two well received releases, ‘Wade In The Water’ and ‘Clear Air Turbulence’ released on via our friends at My Little Empire Records. If you’re in or near London, be sure to catch Alex Bayly live at  Ronnie Scott’s on the 20th of November.

Words of Karla Harris

’Distance’ is available to add to your playlists on Spotify, here.