Howl At The Moon is a beautiful song, presented by means of an immensely emotional and explicitly real performance and recording that gorgeously captures the essence of the writing.
Paul Materne introduces his sound and his songwriting in a powerful way here, and what’s great about it is that the whole thing is extremely pure and organic. In such a saturated world of music, it’s often thought that the more you put into a track, the bigger the effect – hence the overly layered pop releases that throw in any and all instruments and key changes just to grab your attention. The truth is, when the writing is genuine and thoughtful, and when the humanity of the performance is clear and captivating, all you really need is the song. That’s all you need with this release – the song draws you in with its magnetic melody, and the artist keeps you involved with the sheer passion and depth put forth by his vocal delivery.
From a stylistic point of view, the song has a touch of The Fray about it – this delicate, indie-rock ambiance, the heartfelt subject matter and performance. Paul Materne writes from a place of real reflection and deep thought, and it shows – not through excessive detail, not through overly obvious descriptions or blatant references; it shows in a poetic and very sincere manner.
The song works beautifully as an acoustic piece of artistic expression. On this particular recording though, certain details or additional touches really help brighten up the edges. The harmonies are stunning, perfectly executed and offering so much in the way of warmth and volume. It gives you the feeling that this is all much bigger than simply an individual and a guitar, thought that’s exactly what you’d hope to stumble upon at a live show. The raw emotion would almost certainly keep you mesmerised throughout. Hopefully there’s more to come.
Download the music via iTunes or stream it on Spotify. Find & follow Paul Materne on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud & Instagram.
