While he’s yet to offer up any additional details on his follow-up to 2020’s Junk LP, Ian Ferguson is sharing a new single today called “New Love” which is the product of sweaty summer recording sessions in the thick of the pandemic alongside co-producer Will Brown. In spite of the angst and uncertainty in the air, the new track presents some of the Nashville-based songwriter’s most carefree sounds, ingraining psychedelic vibes and vintage charm into his growing folk-rock portfolio.
“‘New Love’ is probably the first song I’ve consciously written about being happy,” Ferguson explains of the shift in energy. “For whatever reason, I’ve always found it easier to write about negative feelings, like being sad or angry. I suppose I turn to music for some sort of healing and it’s incredibly therapeutic to purge those negative feelings. I’ve also found that happy songs are quicker to come off as unauthentic, cheesy, or at their worst, preachy. However, some of the greatest songs ever written were produced in feelings of gladness, and when someone is able to do it well the result can be really special. So I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone and see what I could come up with.”
In spite of that carefree energy, Ferguson notes that every step of the songwriting process was still carefully considered. “From the chord changes to the lyrics—even the crowd at the beginning and end of the song—I wanted to convey a group of people having a good time together,” he adds. “It was recorded, like the rest of the record, in an un-airconditioned attic during the Tennessee summer. Although rough at times, it undoubtedly provided the sound that me and producer William Brown were in search of.”
Hear the results of that session below.
