Music can be a lifeline to many artists, but to Col Patterson it proved an especially significant force. Having suffered a decline in his mental health after being the victim of a one-punch assault in the early 2000s, the Kildare musician found solace and strength in songwriting, much of it done in private in those early years. A period of music-making in The Vinylheads, a band with his cousins, followed, before Patterson struck out for solo glory with 2017′s Hangover Moon.
This, his second solo album, has been several years in the making – leading Patterson to describe himself as a “re-emerging artist” rather than a new one. Still it makes sense when you hear it; there’s a newfound confidence to these songs that sound like Patterson is truly comfortable in his own skin these days.
The influences that were present in his earlier material remain audible here and there is an undeniable 1970s inclination towards bands like The Stranglers and The Jam, best heard on the pacy Heard, while the classic pop melody infusions of The Beatles are never far from these jaunty compositions. These are generally sprightly tunes that occasionally err on the side of pleasant-but-forgettable, and Patterson is undoubtedly a songwriter perhaps a little too in thrall to his influences. Even so, there is real heart to songs like Seed, with its dramatic flourish of strings, the empowering, feelgood pop-rock of Brigid’s Land or the 1970s MOR-tinged Heart Listens Out. Break the Machine is a gently rousing call-to-arms, while Stoned Easy Fool sees Patterson lament his own shortcomings: “My head is like an unmade bed, and I keep falling out.” The synth-laced Daylight provides a welcome change of gear from the tried-and-tested pop-rock template, while Upside ends the album on a determinedly optimistic note.
As an independent artist without the weight of expectation on his shoulders, Patterson is free to indulge in the songs and sounds that please him. The result is an imperfect album in thrall to its influences, but ultimately crafted with care and commitment.
