Neil Potter Turns Pain into Power on Shipwrecked, a Folk Rock Journey Through the Storm

Neil Potter’s Shipwrecked is not just another folk rock single. It is an emotional voyage through the highs and lows of mental struggle, heartbreak, and the long road to healing. The Liverpool-born artist, who has spent years teaching, performing, and mastering his craft, steps into his own spotlight with stunning purpose.

At first, Shipwrecked feels deceptively lighthearted. The guitars are warm, the rhythm easy, and the melody almost peaceful. But beneath that surface is tension building like waves before a storm. Two minutes in, the track shifts sharply. The key darkens, the tempo rises, and the calm gives way to chaos. Potter’s voice cuts through the noise with raw emotion, the kind that makes you stop and really listen. The transformation is striking, mirroring the unpredictable nature of mental illness and emotional turmoil.

The story at the heart of Shipwrecked captures two people on the edge. Both are struggling, both are sinking, but only one manages to find solid ground. “I always find myself back to land while you find yourself shipwrecked,” Potter sings, his words heavy with grief and truth. It’s not just a breakup song, it’s a portrait of what happens when love meets internal war.

The self-produced music video adds another layer, replacing literal storytelling with symbolic imagery. Potter uses haunting shots of isolation, despair, and release to depict the realities of mental illness. As the song builds toward resolution, the visuals open up into wide, freeing landscapes. The message is clear: peace is possible, but it must be fought for.

As someone who has faced OCD and depression firsthand, Potter’s storytelling hits harder because it’s real. Shipwrecked is not about perfection or pity. It’s about survival, growth, and reclaiming strength after being lost at sea.

Shipwrecked feels deeply personal. What experience or emotion first inspired it?

I wanted to write about one of the darkest points in my life with mental health, for myself as well as anybody else who hears it. So shipwrecked is what was born out of that. 

The shift from light to dark in the song is powerful. How did you approach creating that contrast?

I wanted to keep it seeming light, and then when mental health can grab a hold of you and pull you down to the deepest depths. I wanted to capture that in music. So, from major to minor, from light to heavy was the idea. A fairly simple concept, but I think I got what I wanted out of it. 

How has your own experience with OCD and depression influenced your songwriting?

I find writing easier when discussing personal experiences, much like a poet who can only write with pain, or something similar. I have a few songs about it, as well as breakups and other things that bring me happiness. Not all doom and gloom on the album! 

The music video is beautifully abstract. What did you hope listeners would take away from the visuals?

That life can be chaos, but we’re built to fight, survive, and stand up and be counted. 

With your debut album on the horizon, how does Shipwrecked reflect where you are artistically right now?

An artist who is trying to write pensively with years of study to try and evoke what I want to say in the best way that I can.