Taken from Sean’s warmly-received debut album of last year, ‘Auto Pilot’ is another prime example of the perfectly preened and poetic indie-pop that made ‘Son Of The Smith’ such a rewarding listen.
Brimful of Sean’s distinctly wry social observations and set in vividly relatable situations, “Auto Pilot” is tells a tale to lost loves and the pitfall-strewn pathway that lies beyond a bitter break up.
“And I can’t hack it any more, a splash of cold water doesn’t cure, the shame, the guilt, regret and all the dread in the morning and the next few days” , sings Sean, in a track that stands as one of the singer’s most emotionally complex and endearingly confessional outings to date.
Speaking about the themes of the song, Sean says: “Autopilot came from the realisation that drinking culture can be extremely toxic. I noticed most music I listened to was painting boozing as an escape and actually doing much more harm than good. ‘Everything has gone to shit – let’s go get drunk and pretend everything is OK’ is all well and good sometimes and often part of healing processes. But, if that’s your answer every time you inevitably spiral downwards. I wanted to write about a particular experience of mine with booze, honestly. It’s great fun to play live.”
Weaving interloping guitar lines around a driving motorik beat, ‘Auto Pilot’ is an adrenaline-racing rush that testifies to the tight-knit musical mentality of his trusty backing band, who, fittingly join him on the road for an extensive run of UK shows this February and March.
“I’m looking forward to tour. We’re sounding tight and playing well. I don’t handle time off well. I need to be working and need to be on the road. So, after the Christmas break I’m raring to go now.”
Kicking off at the Brighton’s The Hope & Ruin tomorrow (7th February 2019), Sean and band will be travelling the length and breadth of England and Wales for a whopping 21 live dates that culminate in Bournemouth’s The Anvil on 3rd March 2019. Full dates and details as follows:
SEAN McGOWAN LIVE DATES
FEBRUARY 2019
07 Brighton @ Hope & Ruin
08 Bristol @ Louisiana
09 Manchester @ Star & Garter
10 Birmingham @ Sunflower Lounge
13 Leicester @ Soundhouse
14 Cardiff @ Clwb Ifor Bach
15 Hastings @ Blackmarket
16 Oxford @ Jericho Tavern
17 Guildford @ Boiler Room
19 Norwich @ Bermuda Bob’s Rum Shack & HiFi
20 Cambridge @ Portland Arms
21 Swindon @ Level 3
22 Leeds @ Hyde Park Book Club
23 Newcastle @ Underground
24 Glasgow @ Hug & Pint
25 Edinburgh, Sneaky Pete’s
27 St Albans @ The Horn
28 Nottingham @ The Bodega
MARCH 2018
01 Bedford @ Esquires
02 London @ Borderline
03 Bournemouth @ Anvil