Melbourne singer-songwriter Riley Catherall takes us on a sleepless road trip with his breezy alt-country gem, ‘South Of Somewhere’.
Riley Catherall has reflected on life on the road with ‘South of Somewhere’, an alt-country gem lifted from the Melbourne singer-songwriter’s upcoming album.
A warm, acoustic-driven track, ‘South of Somewhere’ opens with sunlit guitar melodies and the rustic warmth of Catherall’s vocals.
There’s a blissful simplicity to the track, with sparse instrumentation affording it an intimate quality that feels altogether engrossing.
Save for the summery twang of guitar or the subtle pulse of drums, ‘South of Somewhere’ coasts mostly on a carefree and effortless groove.
Adding texture to the track, Catherall later croons alongside heavenly female vocal harmonies and catchy percussion. It’s the kind of track you’d spin while road tripping on a wide-open highway, or lolling under a tree on a summer’s afternoon.
‘South of Somewhere’ owes much of this leisurely feel to Catherall’s vocals, delivered with such ease and buttery warmth that you could probably spread them on toast.
The coaxing, lullaby-like rhythm feels entrancing, and Catherall constructs the track in such a way that it flows with the same brevity of a daydream.
It’s one thing to create such an immaculate soundscape, but Catherall pairs it with equally vivid storytelling.
Here, he sketches a portrait of sleepless nights on the road, recalling the friends he makes along the way and the feeling that he “might be tired all my life.”
En route, Catherall reflects on a muse who is inhabiting his dreams and name-checks highways, showcasing a diaristic lyricism that gives the track even more intimacy and sketches new contours of the otherwise-uplifting instrumentation.
‘South of Somewhere’ is lifted from Catherall’s forthcoming sophomore album ‘The Light, The Beautiful Liar’, which is set for release in mid-2024.
A follow-up to his 2021 debut ‘When I Go’, the album has spawned the singles ‘Bark At The Moon’ and ‘Coming Down, Coming Over’, and is about “desperately trying to hold onto the kind of love that exists before the dawn arrives,” Catherall explained in a press statement.
Take a road trip with Riley Catherall with the resplendent single ‘South of Somewhere’ below.
