Our Man In The Field
'Thin'
-The New Single -
UK/EU Release: 3rd July 2020
Format: Limited 7" Vinyl & Digital
First Thoughts Review
'Thin' has a traditional sound with the very prominent, but beautifully played pedal steel guitar, but it also feels fresh and bang up to date. 'Thin' is further enhanced with a lovely soft vocal from Alexander Ellis. The constant acoustic guitar strum becomes the beat for the most part as the drums are so subtle and the delicate piano and understated violin parts make the instrumentation in this song feel perfectly blended.
If you want a song to unwind to after a busy day then 'Thin' is definitely the one. Pour yourself a glass of red wine, put your feet up on the sofa and relax into this gorgeous ballad.
- Thin (I Used To Be Bullet Proof) -
A letter to my younger self,
I wrote it from the point of view of a person looking back at their life and recognising how time has changed them. At the beginning they are dictating a letter to someone. The words in the letter are the words of the chorus and the letter is to explain what the person is about to do. I wanted to leave that part open so the person could be leaving a job or a place or any situation and the listener can make it whatever they want.
To me the person in the song has realised that there is still time left to change their circumstances and get back to who they used to be. I’ve known a lot of people who have followed the traditional path of school, university 9-5 job - but then realised that they spend most of their life doing something they don’t like and missed out on so much. Most people don’t want to take a risk and change their situation and for some it's impossible not to once they realise.
Think of Our Man In The Field – AKA Alexander Ellis – as an independent correspondent, with his works dispatches from his travels. So classically crafted are Ellis’ songs that you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve heard Our Man In The Field somewhere before. He and his brilliant band of pedal steel, guitar, banjo, upright bass and drums (with fine harmony backing vocals) take inspiration from the alt-Americana and Caledonian soul stylings of Van Morrison, Neil Young, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ryan Adams and Wilco. His own sound is indefinable yet familiar- its introspective, intimate and deeply soulful style stands comfortably alongside modern day artists Ray LaMontagne, Damien Rice, Foy Vance and Joe Purdy.
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