Conrad Ashton – The Longest Night (2020)
It has been said that our lives are determined by fate where everything happens for a reason, although we may not see it. Now, I don’t know so much about the fate and destiny thing, but I do believe that personal experiences can decide the course of a person’s life. In the case of singer-songwriter Conrad Ashton, it was seeing Pete Townshend’s stage presence at Life 8 that changed his life. He was nine years old.
After making the decision to be a musician, Ashton began playing the guitar and by age 11 he was writing original material. As this UK-based artist aged, music was no longer a mere hobby but acted as a catharsis to deal with bouts of depression and anxiety. Soon, Ashton started making ripples in the UK music scene gaining coverage in RGM, Clash, Never Enough Music and Vents Magazine with his various singles and albums. The latest addition to his growing discography is the single ‘The Longest Night’.
Touching on mental health issues, ‘The Longest Night’ is a track of salvation, hope, caring and the goodness in people. Despite the inspirational underlying meaning, it is a rather dark single exploring the emotional side of suicide.
“The track is essentially about trying to save someone close to you from suicide wanting to be with them and help them through…hopefully that will help someone someday.” – Conrad Ashton on ‘The Longest Night’
Filled with vivid imagery of struggle, desperation and fear, Ashton uses moving lyricism to approach the controversial topic of suicide but with a degree of hopefulness amidst the despair. The poignancy of the content is emphasised by powerful lyrics; however, the upbeat sound and bold, melodic vocals represent the caring and optimistic light at the end of the tunnel. Anthemic and addictive, this is an indie-rock meets folk-rock track to clear away the cobwebs and send the sun shining in through the window of one’s soul.
For more from Conrad Ashton check out his official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
