Ahead of his anticipated debut album, ‘Porcelain,’ Danny Addison has unveiled the deeply thought-provoking ‘Tribe.’ The songwriter delivers an enigmatic folk song that explores the damage of social media discourse – a restless sea of opinions that can often ignite a storm of division.
Pete Samson catches up with Danny and finds out a bit more…
Let’s talk about your new single “Tribe” – It explores the darker side of groupthink and moral superiority. What inspired this song, and how do you hope listeners interpret it?
I think it was just the feeling of being trapped in a social media bubble and hearing the same opinions being sent round and round in a kind of nauseating feedback loop. I hope listeners can hear the desperation in the track but also the righteous indignation that may or may not be misplaced.
You’ve been described as blending folk storytelling with contemporary depth. How would you define your sound?
I’d say it’s somewhere between folk, rock and classical. Since releasing music, I’ve found it difficult to describe but it really feels authentic to me and just an amalgamation of all my musical influences.
One of the lines says “Be good, you’ll be the star on a movie screen.” That really speaks to the performative side of online morality. How do you see the role of social media in shaping identity?
It’s huge. I mean I think for some people social media is their identity. At least that’s what they tell themselves. I don’t judge or blame those people though necessarily. It’s so difficult to not be sucked into the world of posting only your highlight reel. Because ultimately life is hard, and I think fundamentally we all want love, acceptance and safety. We share online those things that we believe will give us the ‘keys to life’ so to speak so that we can feel secure and connected with people. And I don’t think that social media is necessarily a bad thing. But, like everything, it has to be used in moderation so we can be in touch with our humanity and stay healthy.
Being a multi-instrumentalist clearly plays into the richness of your sound. Do you usually write songs starting with lyrics, melody, or a particular instrument?
Pretty much all of my music starts with some kind of guitar idea. I’ve found that I cannot really finish a song without having strong feelings towards the lyrics though. I have to know exactly what I want to say.
You grew up in Hitchin, then moved to Manchester. How did that change in environment shape your music or outlook?
Manchester completely changed my outlook on my own ability to learn new things. I was surrounded by so many talented and multifaceted people. I started looking at my circle of friends and thinking “hey well if they can learn to do that then so can I”.
You recently played an intimate showcase at London’s Gibson Garage alongside Gareth Dunlop and Nathan O’Regan. Why was this a special night for you?
Absolutely. It was kind of surreal to be there to be honest, knowing how many great players had come through and just the legacy of Gibson itself! Such a cool space to get to perform.
Are there any dream collaborations on your radar for the future?
So many! Foy Vance is one of my all-time favourite songwriters. But then there’s Moses Sumney, Hozier, Chris Thile, Brittany Howard, Sierra Ferrell, Lapsley, Leon Bridges. There’s just so many.
What’s one message you hope listeners take away from “Tribe?”
I guess to be vigilant to your own biases? But really I don’t want people to hear my music as an intellectual exercise. I would like people to be able to listen to it passively and that to be left up to the listener.
Listen to ‘Tribe’ HERE