It’s always amazing to see how a longtime artist breaks out to create their own projects. Sometimes it’s absolutely captivating, and that’s the case for the recently revived solo project by folk artist Pete Campbell. Recently he’s released his latest EP ‘A Second Glance,’ which includes an amazing single, ‘Waltz for the Common.’
‘Waltz for the Common’ is proof that a full and gorgeous sound can be captured with just strings and vocals. The use of guitar, mandolin, and violin round out the instrumentation in an emotional and colorful way. Each instrument gets its own chance to shine, and the violin solo at the end is so wonderfully done it’s chilling. Pete Campbell and Maya Simmons do phenomenal with their vocals, building amazing harmonies throughout the track. Maya also cuts in with her own verse in the latter half of the track, which was originally unplanned. With little time to prepare, Maya killed it. These are two voices that work well together, and they work together to create a great dynamic in the music.
As Pete Campbell himself states “‘Waltz for the Common’ is all about promises and disappointment.” It really stands out as a deep-cut lyrically. There’s a poetic sense in the writing of this track, in that it uses descriptions of nature to share its emotions in a very visual way. Each voice of this single has a different side to the same story. Pete’s verse brings an aspect of betrayal. This verse explores being told by a loved one they’d always be there, but then not feeling like they were when it mattered most. Then comes Maya’s verse. This verse explores the other side, asking “Did you rely on me?” There’s such an interesting dichotomy spanning the theme of this song, and the poeticism could be explored endlessly.
Pete Campbell is a Sydney, Australia-based artist known for his bluesy folk music with a country twang. He cites some of his influences as being Nick Drake, The Beatles, and Neil Finn. This brings in a sound that has a sense of folk nostalgia in the music he creates, but he also truly makes it his own. Pete has been playing music for pretty much his whole life, and this has given him a chance to create his own music that’s personal and draws from his own experiences. In ‘Waltz for the Common,’ Pete had the help of vocalist Maya Simmons and violinist/mandolin player Marcus Holden. ‘Waltz for the Common’ is the second single under Pete Campbell’s repertoire, and it’s a part of his debut EP which was just released. You can stream this EP, ‘A Second Glance,’ today.
Written by Sage Plapp
