Singled Out: Nathaniel Bellows' Introvert Anthem 'Works For Me'
(antiMusic) Introvert rejoice! You now have a brand new anthem courtesy of Nathaniel Bellows and his new single "Works For Me". To celebrate the release, we asked him to tell us about the indie folk/Americana song. Here is the story:
"Works for Me" is one in a group of thematically linked songs I began writing last year. It was always meant to be the up-tempo song of the set-"up-tempo" not being something I'm normally inclined to write. But I liked the idea of contrasting a muscular, percussive style of guitar playing with the interior, meditative aims of the lyric. In a slightly ironic way, I've referred to "Works for Me" as "The Introvert's Anthem," because it's a song about getting to a point where you know exactly what you need for contentment, safety, and sanity-despite what society might say or what you might sacrifice in the process: romance, social status, professional advancement. Ideally, over time-and after much experience-what works for you becomes clearer, and this wisdom is worth protecting.
"Works for Me" came to life during the recording process. In the past, I'd usually recorded vocals and acoustic guitar alone. Any additional vocals or instrumentation were added as overdubs, often remotely. In the case of "Works for Me," I recorded the song live with a group of incredible musicians-Michael Coleman on piano and organ; Ian Davis on bass; Kid Millions on drums; all assembled by Michael Hammond, who engineered the track-at Figure 8 Recording in Brooklyn, NY. The process was wholly new to me, and incredibly collaborative and organic. First, I played the song for the musicians, walking them through the chords and transitions and lyrics. (I don't read or write music, so I wasn't able to provide them with charts. But I was open to whatever they heard in the music, and whatever they were moved to create.) Happily, my trust in their abilities instantly paid off. Our first take demonstrated our immediate musical compatibility-we played fluidly, surging and ebbing together over the course of the song, as if we'd been playing together for years. "Works for Me" became an intricate, textured, toe-tapping version of the stripped-down demo I'd first brought to them. Recording it felt like a kind of alchemy with all of us together in the semi-open studio, listening and responding, rising and falling, in time and in tune, from start to finish. The final version of the track was our second take-out of three.
These days, there's a heightened awareness around notions of personal boundaries, self-care, and toxicity (environments, relationships, etc). "Works for Me" responds to these elements while trumpeting the role-and value-of self-knowledge and self-advocacy. A line in the final verse of the song fully encapsulates this idea of instinctual personal choice and freedom: "I'll follow the robin / who knows in his heart / when it's / spring."
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more here
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