Niall Summerton - “Tread Water”
Photo provided by Niall Summerton
From North Yorkshire, singer-songwriter Niall Summerton is back on the blog with another soothing and authentic offering of indie folk: “Tread Water.”
If you’ve never had the pleasure of hearing Summerton’s raw craft, “Tread Water” is a sensational place to start. The track begins as though a private performance that has been neatly tucked away within the voice memos of a cell phone. Acoustic guitar delightfully rings out some chords, with a production that is deliciously intimate, leaving both the artist and listener nowhere to hide.
As far as we’re concerned, Summerton’s vocal performance is the epitome of indie folk. It maintains the same, lo-fi integrity of the rest of the arrangement, but has been wonderfully multilayered, making room for comparisons to many of our all-time favorite artists, such as Elliott Smith and Sufjan Stevens. Beneath the music, the foley of what we believe is a city park acts as a gentle pad, lining the track with a distinct and delicate touch of humanity.
The final third of song has been saturated with additional elements, with the thick, weighty sounds of bass and the blissful crispness of a drum kit expanding the arrangement to the far reaches of the sonic landscape. “Tread Water” is just as meditative and introspective as it is entertaining, and we truly believe it would prove difficult to find another song that will move you in the same way.
About the song, Summerton adds: “This song was inspired by a trip to London to see my best friend. It was a really blissful weekend, as it always is when we're together. We had no money to do anything particularly nice, had no plans, so just floated around - not a care in the world. It's testament to the friendship that we don't have to be busy to enjoy each other’s company.