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Nylophone Strips Back his Process on Bare-All New Folk Single

June 11, 2021

Irish singer-songwriter Niall Woods, aka Nylophone, (Niall-Oh -Phone) strips back his process on bare-all new ‘Life Goes On’.

Turning off the synths and discarding his usual multi-layered production, Woods opts for a simple, fingerpicked melody set-up that allows the vulnerability and candor of his lyrics to ring profound and true.

Centered on loss and the resulting lows and loneliness experienced when one is bereft, the track’s narrative follows the hardships of going through the motions, of living out the mundane everyday – where the loss is felt the most. Niall’s vocals team with emotion, containing at once the weight of grief and the lightness of acceptance, hope, and the push to keep on keeping on.Breaking through the long and quiet nights depicted in the verses, a subtle change to a major chord in the chorus offers an unexpected sliver of light in an otherwise darker setting, carrying the lyric ‘life goes on’ with a gentle but resounding sense of comfort. As the drums, piano, and cello suddenly kick in, the busy whirr of life picks up, and the music moves in parallel.

Sometimes, after a loss, it seems as if the world should stop. It can be unimaginable that life could possibly continue as it used to, but somehow it does, and often takes you by surprise. Perhaps it’s because you run on automatic, or perhaps it’s because the sheer weight of routine and tradition somehow trudges onwards with no regards to your personal expectations. In short, life goes on, and that’s exactly what this song is about.” Nylophone

Niall Woods, aka Nylophone, is an Irish artist from Wicklow who specializes in bittersweet and catchy indie pop songs.

The bulk of his music is written and recorded on a modest home-recording set-up before being moved to the studio, achieving the artist a colorful and polished soundscape that retains it’s lo-fi charm.

A key feature of Nylophone’s music is layered guitars and washed out synths, creating a dreamy soundscape that Woods sings over in plaintive and melancholic tones. The songs often detail themes of longing and alienation, but always in a catchy and concise way, where a strong melody is of central importance.

His contemporary production values have garnered the artist comparisons to dream-pop and alternative indie including Ariel Pink, Doves, The Shins and Atlas Sound, among others.

Though he fits neatly within that bracket, Nylophone’s influences, the themes his music explores, and the instrumentation he uses veer more toward 60’s artists such as The Beach Boys, and Del Shannon.

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