We were writing about Ian Roland earlier this year, describing his songwriting as “buoyant, bucolic”, a quality that appears to be one of the project’s cornerstones. Hailing from Brighton, UK, Roland favours gentle folk-pop vibes, penning songs that are mellow, soothing and highly grounded in nature and human introspection. ‘Some Way of Life’ is the perfect evidence of that; Ian’s latest effort, the piece is rather cryptic and mysterious in its lyrical meaning, yet we can’t help but place it inside climate-related theming.
You see, Roland’s artistic ethos well fit such a crucial purpose, with gentle acoustic guitars and luscious, organic arrangements accompanying his vibrant, confident vocal tone, delivering relatable motifs and catchy melodies with unmatched charisma. ‘Some Way of Life’ could be criticising the way we deal with our planet, the way we generally do not care about its health and climate-related transformations.
Art can often help bring attention to such issues, even when it’s not directly oriented towards that narrative. Whichever way you look at it, it’s obvious that ‘Some Way of Life’ will relate to different people in all sorts of ways, offering a slice of bittersweet aural goodness to anyone in need of it. As Roland proudly sings: “Must be some way of living, where I don’t hurt you anymore. Must be some way of living, where you don’t kill me every day.”
Recommended! Discover ‘Some Way of Life’ on Spotify and YouTube:
