Ryan Nealon – Paper Town (2020)
Ryan Nealon had us full of good vibes with his single ‘Lights Out’. He is now taking a different turn with his latest single ‘Paper Town’. This coming of age single was inspired by the crippling feeling of anxiety that is created by a looming fear of death and loneliness in a toxic town. Written with friends Haleigh Bowers and Kylie Rothfield, Nealon was feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders.
This resulted in a single that is raw and vulnerable while describing what he was feeling at that moment. The emotional flow of the single gives you a glimpse into unstable living situations, panic attacks and loneliness.
‘Paper Town’ has a slow expansive opening that draws you to Nealon’s vocals. His voice enters as this soft and light thread describing the emotional starting point of the track. From the first note, his performance has a vulnerability to it. You can hear the anxiety and sadness of the situation threaded through each word. It is an unbelievably emotive performance that softly filters the feelings of the track into your soul. As you listen, you feel each emotion as if everything is happening to you.
The melody enhanced the emotional impact of the vocals and lyrics. There is a delicate touch to the music as it flows softly over you. There are moments when the music swells before dropping. This is a great movement that connects with the lyrics and vocals for an intensely emotional experience. The strings in the melody wrap around you and add a hint of melancholy to song.
Ryan Nealon takes you on an emotional journey of anxiety, loneliness and toxic surroundings in ‘Paper Town’. The light melody forms the perfect foundation for his emotive performance that is packed with raw and vulnerable tones.
Find out more about Ryan Nealon on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
