Australian alt-folk songwriter Lawson Hull explores romantic nostalgia on new song and video, “Wanna Be With You”
October 14, 2022 BY Jason Currell
Today, Australian alt-folk songwriter Lawson Hull returns with new song “Wanna Be With You.” The earthy ode to young love highlights Lawson’s witty, everyman-style songwriting that has resonated with listeners around the world. It comes from Lawson’s newly announced EP Mountain Days, co-produced with friend and labelmate Riley Pearce.
Listen to “Wanna Be With You” on all digital retailers here, and pre-order/pre-save Mountain Days here.
“I feel like writing a love song never gets old, although, this song is more about the whirlwind of first-encounters,” explains Lawson. “Yes, they’re easy to write and can’t really go wrong, but the best love songs put you in the scene, like it’s about the listener. If you can show a sense of earnestness and paint the picture of growing old with your lover, I think you’ve done a good thing. You want people to believe it’s real, so you thread specific memories throughout the song.”
Lawson also elaborates on working with Riley Pearce:
“Writing this with Riley Pearce, we wanted people to feel the rush of young love and adventure, but have the undertone of old love, as if you can see where it’s going in the long run,” he continues. “Two lovers meet on a night out, dancing and watching the band. They get wrapped up in each other and decide to venture off into the night, swim in the cold and watch a sunrise. The chorus is a long shot, like the main character is getting ahead of themselves, but I’d prefer to think they’re saying it quietly to themselves – this is special. By the time the bridge comes around I get the feeling a whole summer has gone by. The song might come across very linear, but to me I hear it differently all the time and I hope every person that hears it interprets it differently.”
WATCH & SHARE “WANNA BE WITH YOU” OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
https://youtu.be/ax15FmcIh5o
Describing himself as “an Aussie take on Tom Petty, but half as good”, Lawson Hull’s modesty does little to conceal his immense musical and lyrical talent. Warm, atmospheric, and spacious, Lawson’s music oozes comfort, and places him amongst Australia’s greatest contemporary indie folk voices: think Angus and Julia Stone, Boy and Bear and #1 Dads.
The Newcastle-based artist merges fascinating prose with cinematic production and artful songcraft on his 2021 EP, Hangin’ Out with Cowboys. Personally, he’s “not much for cowboy hats.” However, much like the title suggests, he’s got a few friends who are. This body of work bottles the expanse of the outback’s breathtaking vistas into robust guitars, dreamy beats, and chantable hooks. With a little poetic license and tasteful embellishment, Lawson’s deft and dynamic storytelling brings these tracks to life with all the gusto of a classic flick.
Since the EP, Lawson has gifted us with an acoustic version of the much beloved “Mexico,” produced by Byron Bay’s Garrett Kato. Then, in mid-2022, he teamed up with Hein Cooper on “Maze,” a heady track that ruminates on an exhausting and isolating struggle with anxiety and self-doubt: “I got caught in the maze again”. Before that, we heard “Sweetheart,” a collaboration with Nashville songwriter and producer Old Sea Brigade. The track tells the story of a man reminiscing on the earlier days of a relationship. A connection that was once intimate and warm has now turned distant, with Lawson pleading “sweetheart, you’re slipping through my hands.” Performances with Julia Stone, Riley Pearce and Hein Cooper over 2022 prove that Lawson Hull is only on the up.
