Dan Owen - Run Me Down: An Anthemic Tour De Force
Dan Owen released his brand new single on May 10th titled ‘Run Me Down’. This sultry release is his first offering of new music since the release of his critically acclaimed debut album, Stay Awake with Me, released in August 2018.
Over the last few years, Dan Owen has climbed the monolith that is the British music scene, quickly establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with. He signed with Atlantic Records in 2016, released his debut album to critical acclaim, received 30 million streams on Spotify alone and became an international touring artist playing sold out shows to crowds across the UK, Europe, and the US, touring with the likes of Jake Bugg, Birdy and Imelda May. Most recently, Dan Owen’s single, Hideaways, off of his debut album, has been featured in the trailer for the upcoming big blockbuster, Angel Has Fallen.
The dizzying debut album cycle had given Owen little opportunity to catch his breath – till now. Being released from the responsibilities that the album cycle demands has clearly given Dan a reason to pause for thought. Reflecting on what has brought him up until this point in his musical journey writing ‘Run Me Down’ Owen comments that, “there have been big changes in my life in the past year – some painful ends and some exciting new beginnings, but I have never felt so creative in my life.”
These experiences are etched into his identity and expressed through a refreshed direction in ‘Run Me Down’, culminating in Owen confessing he has, “taken it back to (his) roots”. Owen’s authenticity is bold and self-assured; his sound is an evolution and maturation of what the audience would normally expect from Owen’s typical folk-rock flair.
‘Run Me Down’ is richly infused with influences aplenty, spliced from a range of genres. From the opening moments, Owen wastes no time in injecting a Rock and Roll groove, humming an infectious vocal riff which reverberates throughout the soundscape, parroted back and forth between hooky guitar and bass riffs. Cue the stomping flutter of the drums and Owen has created an anthemic tour-de-force; it is no wonder that Owen has previously caught the attention of Mick Fleetwood (of Fleetwood Mac).
Owen shows his teeth with a vocal and melodic delivery which verges on aggressive. There is an attitude which unfolds from his distinctive versatile vocals; they are more throaty and husky than previous offerings on his debut album, yet still straddling his deeply soulful and sonorous blues roots. A delivery that, in the choruses, come to full fruition which help greatly to accentuate the new roots rock direction Owen presents within the instrumentation.
The riff and hook-filled instrumentation and powerhouse vocals collide and create a cinematic explosion during the closing thirty seconds. A soaring high altitude melisma is delivered with a vocal that is as fiery as it is close to breaking. Perhaps, this makes it all the more surprising that Owen’s vocals are more evocative of a New Orleans delta bluesman than from a singer-songwriter who just a mere six months ago played a hometown show in the rural wasteland of Shrewsbury.
Accompanying the release of ‘Run Me Down’, Dan Owen released a music video – which has already amassed 57,000 views on YouTube – which neatly packages glitzy cinematic Hollywood production with the nostalgia of nighttime drives across the country hills of Shropshire.
Listen below or follow the link to listen on Spotify.
'Run Me Down' truly is a juggernaut. It has it all: anthemic instrumentation (check), riffs and hooks galore (check) and jaw-dropping vocals (check). No further proof is needed with a talent that is as self-assured, bold and explosive as Owen's that he is here to stay. The British music scene is all the better for it.
Dan Owen's next headline show at St. Pancras Old Church, London, UK on Wednesday 26th June 2019.
‘Run Me Down’ is out now and available to stream on all major streaming platforms (including our New Music playlist) or follow Dan Owen on:
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Posted via the awesome SteemPress plugin : Read all our reviews and this one via https://fortheloveofbands.com/2019/05/23/dan-owen-run-me-down-an-anthemic-tour-de-force/