Nashville’s powerhouse vocalist/guitarist Patrick Sweany doesn’t hold back for a split-second on his latest studio album, Ancient Noise, recorded with all-star Grammy Award-winning producer Matt Ross-Spang and out this Friday, May 11 on Nine Mile Records. Subsequent to producing Margo Price’s Midwest Farmer’s Daughter and engineering Jason Isbell’s Something More Than Free, Matt Ross-Spang pairs Al Green’s longtime keyboard player Charles Hodges with Sweany’s all-out groove machines of songs and dreamy balladry on Ancient Noise.
To say the walls of Sam Phillips Recording still sing, well Sweany certainly didn’t waste a moment’s time throwing down sweat and tears in the historic recording studio. Ancient Noise immerses Sweany’s gripping narratives in a brilliant bed of guitar work embellished by Hodges’ inimitable organ and piano playing, all backed by the tight rhythm section of drummer Ken Coomer and bassist Ted Pecchio. Traversing in new sonic directions from Sweany’s previous albums done with producer Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) and Joe V. McMahan, Ross-Spang captures the soul of a man not afraid to wear life’s pains and pleasures on his sleeve. Ancient Noise reflects hard-learned life lessons and how they encourage better livin’ in the present day.
One of the standout songs on the album is “No Way No How”, and today we are excited to offer an exclusive premiere of the tune right here on Glide. While not overtly political, the offers up some biting commentary on the mean-spirited and downright dumb polarization that has exploded in American society on social media in the last few years. To properly capture the frustrating subject matter, Sweany lays into a slinky, funky blues rock sound. Backed by a simple drumbeat, a laid back organ groove dances around Sweany’s guitar playing as he wonders, “why don’t you take it a little easier”. Between his unmistakeable and effortlessly cool guitar playing to his thoughtful lyrical commentary, the song reaffirms Sweany as one of the most underrated artists in rock and roll who can also get across powerful critiques of society in his songs.
Sharing the inspiration behind the song, Sweany has this to say:
“’No Way No How’ is my funky, swampy critique of the phenomenon of people saying things on the internet that they would never say to another human being face to face, and the complete lack of accountability that goes along with it. The worst that happens is that they delete the tweet or post, and pretend it didn’t happen. No apology, no flexibility, no compromise, just pretend it didn’t happen, or that the sentiment was misunderstood by the dissenter. It’s fascinating to me. People completely uninvolved and unaffected by a situation feel the need to assert themselves as an affected participant. And we’ve all perpetrated it in some regard if we’ve used social media. Specifically, the song is me stating my fear of the cult of resistance to criticism that has become a narcissistic plague on our world, but I made it funky, so it’s still fun. Funk as an agent of social accountability!”
LISTEN:
Ancient Noise is out May 11. For tour dates and more music visit patricksweany.com.
