Nathaniel Paul – Turpentine (2022)
With the title track of his upcoming album, Nathaniel Paul explores the homogeneity that is being forced upon us by the world in general. While exploring this, ‘Turpentine’ also considers if it is time to start asking some questions about the conveyor belt we are all placed on. If you have ever felt like you are not fully in control and the world is pushing you in one direction, this single may just be the soundtrack to your feelings.
While the single explores some heavy themes and asks a lot of important questions, Paul uses a mellow soundscape to drive the message. Throwing in some groovy movements, he makes a bold statement with this track which gets you rather excited for the album as a whole.
‘Turpentine’ has a really groovy feeling to the opening that has a light touch of retro tones. This sways you into a dreamy soundscape with progressive guitar tones that are absolutely wonderful to listen to. The tumble of the drums leads you into the guitar that bubbles through the soundscape. While the music is quite mellow and makes you want to sink back into it, there is a moving undertone that keeps you going. Everything in the melody comes together for a decadent movement that brings a lot of different elements together for a rich soundscape. Later in the track, there is a strange warble of electronic tones that brings a new edge to the sound.
The mellow vibes of the music continue with Paul’s vocals. The lyrics smoothly grab your attention by making a simple request in the opening moments of the single. Paul’s vocal performance is like warm air resting on your skin as he makes you think about the world and the toll it takes from us. The overall easiness of the single really lets the message of the track shine as he calls on us to help others and find ourselves at the same time. This is definitely a single that everyone should listen to at some point because it carries an undeniably important message.
Nathaniel Paul has you sinking into his mellow and dreamy tones while getting you thinking about the world around us in ‘Turpentine’. The music is rich and invites you to relax into the easy movements and amazing guitar tones. His vocals are as inviting as the music as they urge you to help others and reconsider the conveyor belt we are placed on.
Find out more about Nathaniel Paul on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
