South Coast, UK Singer/Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Finnian James, releases his deep and meaningful single "Leather and Sand".
As a natural performer since the age of 11, Finnian James’ music is said to provide an original and powerful sound with old-school elements. With his recent single "Leather and Sand," Finnian James sings the old yet incredibly relatable tale of moving forward from someone, or something toxic.
Even touching on deep aspects of the process like turning to substance abuse to help heal the wound, Finnian James runs incredibly deep introspective with this song.
Beginning with transcendent and down-tempo electric guitar, we can already feel the theme set out on "Leather and Sand." While Finnian James’ vocals beautifully appear, he begins singing with heart and soul, surrounding heavy topics of spending time with someone only to get your heartbroken. Once the mesmerizing chorus turns the corner, Finnian James lets out lyrics like “Well I do believe in angels, but is it time to let go?”.
About halfway through the track, we’re hit with an energetic downbeat with thriving alt-rock instrumentals. Finnian James progressively builds the energy, almost foreshadowing the healing process he’s undertaken. Bringing in a track that helps us all heal and move forward with "Leather and Sand," Finnian James truly understands the meaning of hope.
Discover "Leather and Sand" here.
Hey Finnian James, welcome to BuzzMusic! We’re truly in awe of your deep and textured single "Leather and Sand". How did you go about writing lyrics that portrayed your emotions towards finally letting someone go?
Hey! Thanks so much… To be honest, I had so many melodies and lyrics floating around in my head that I began to become kind of overwhelmed by writing for a period of time. It was when I learned to face my problems instead of pushing them away that I really started being able to express my emotions through my lyrics. I love to tell a story.
We’ve noticed that your single "Leather and Sand" gradually increases in volume and instrumentation, almost building the energy. Was there a reason you wanted this to happen? Was it foreshadowing the break-up process and how energy/optimism will soon return?
When I wrote this song, I was still at a pretty rough point... I was pouring my thoughts that I struggled to talk about to people, into my music. I think this is what created that angsty, progressive feel of the song. I was down and out and wanting to return some level of, as you say, energy and optimism.
We’ve heard that Finnian James’ debut single "Another One" has captured the eyes and ears of many. How did you want to follow up this release with "Leather and Sand", and do the songs share any similarities?
I think after I saw the relative success of "Another One" I truly realised the direction I wanted to go in as a writer. I have always been obsessed with and influenced by older artists. Nowadays I’m largely taking my inspiration from a bunch of 90’s artists and really finding the sound I want to be creating. For me, "Leather and Sand" marks the birth of my true sound and path as an artist and I hope my listeners feel the same.
Seeing as Finnian James has captured inspiration from artists/bands like Jeff Buckley, the 1975, Led Zeppelin and more. How does your music relate to these acts, and how did you manage to carve your own original path with their sound behind you?
Jeff Buckley and Led Zeppelin are two of my favourite acts of all time. I will always tap into them for inspiration. My debut single "Another One" was heavily influenced by Buckley. With my new songs, I’m actually trying to travel a bit further away from my favourite artists for inspiration as this puts me in a position as a writer where I am less comfortable. As a result, I think I’m writing more interesting, new sounds, which I find more exciting. I love the new 1975 album, it really excites me as a versatile writer, hearing how different every track on that album sounds. That’s what I strive for.
What can we expect to see next from you?
The next single will be called "Something about You" and I have no doubt that it is the catchiest song I’ve ever written… Other than that, I want to get back into the studio as soon as possible because I have all these ideas clogging up my brain that I can’t wait to get laid down. Hopefully, I’ll be back to gigging with the boys real soon, I’m starting to get really bored of not being able to get out and play my music for people. Especially when I have all these (in my opinion) great songs ready to be shared. Rest assured, I will be on the stage as soon as the venues re-open and I’ll keep you all updated on my upcoming shows!