Ian Roland – Craving (2025)
Inspired by life, music, nature and love, singer-songwriter Ian Roland celebrates the good, the bad, and the ugly in his refreshing music. Capturing the essence of reality with a good tune, Roland has entertained audiences for years, including a deep breath of sonic celebration for the team at The Other Side Reviews. In an interview in 2023, he declared that “…music is life…” – a sentiment that eagerly exudes from the tracks ‘Lodestone’, ‘Living In Sound’ and ‘The Beacon’ (to name but a few). Come on a journey with us as we delve into Roland’s most recent single, ‘Craving’.
Following the well-received single ‘The Beacon’, Ian Roland (vocals and guitar), Dave Coomber (bass), James Chapman (drums), Mishkin Fitzgerald (piano and keyboards), and Simon Yapp (violin and viola) weave a warm sonic blanket of shimmering folk music set to wrap you in a comfortable hug. Produced by Jake Skinner, with mastering by Bob Macciochi, ‘Craving’ is a sophisticated rush of vintage folk; however, the maturity is littered with that raw emotion that cuts to your heart, stirs your soul, and might leave you with a tear.
Melodically, the concoction of bold drums, dynamic guitars, a shimmering piano, and hits of haunting strings is kaleidoscopic… then again, the complexity is laid out with barebones simplicity. Like taking apart a web of sound, placing each thread in line, but still indulging in the beautiful webby web-ness with fascination. With ‘Craving’, we hear the theme of simple webby web-ness in poetic lyricism and a personal narrative. Roland explains:
“In my very early years, growing up in South London, my big sisters used to take me to Crystal Palace Park to see the huge model dinosaurs there. It was a mix of trepidation and excitement to seek out the prehistoric animals amidst the Park’s trees and the grey, rainy skies of the Borough of Bromley. I knew the part as Crystal Park, a magical park, and it features in this song which is about the enduring power of love that can sometimes haunt us, like a drug, but also sustain and uplift us if we give it enough space.”
In addition to the single, Ian Roland released a music video for ‘Craving’. You can view the video below or on his YouTube channel.
Find out more about Ian Roland on his official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
Listen to more folk music on The Other Side Reviews Folk playlist:
