Hotly tipped Scottish singer songwriter Aaron Smith delivers new video for ‘Brother’, in collaboration with suicide prevention charity CALM
"There’s a chance he might draw comparisons to Lewis Capaldi because us critics can be a lazy bunch, but Smith has a very different sound – darker, moodier – and his vocals have a nice gravelly quality." – THE INDEPENDENT
"Hauntingly beautiful" – WONDERLAND
"Brother"—a song about addiction— takes the jagged edges of a chewed up stream of thoughts and smoothes them out into a soft piano-led melody. Searing strings slowly roll out the carpet as he hesitantly steps onto the affectionate chorus—"Give me time / And ease my mind"—before breaking out into a run amidst the rising instrumentals. It's poignant yet clean, leaving no demon swept under the rug. In one emotional swoop, Smith manages to empty that which felt burdened, cleanse that which felt dirty, and give voice to that which felt small.” - EARMILK
“This is weighty, folk-influenced stuff. Think Parachutes era Coldplay with John Mayer in his more earnest moments thrown it…Smith's ear for a chorus and powerful voice make a very potent combination.” - HMV - Next Big Thing
“Smith’s vocal style has a strong echo of Chris Martin and the single’s piano infusion will certainly appeal to fans of early Coldplay, not to mention Keane.” –
THE SCOTSMAN - Under The Radar
“Spine-tingling” – EUPHORIA MAGAZINE
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘BROTHER’ HERE
Following on from the acclaim he received for his sophomore EP ‘For My Father’ in August, which has seen his total streaming numbers top 45 million since its release, fast-rising singer songwriter Aaron Smith has now teamed up with suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to release the official music video for his previously released single 'Brother'.
The festive season is often a difficult one for many, this year potentially even more so than ever, so they have now come together to remind people that they're not alone and there is help out there, even when you might be feeling at your lowest ebb.
The original single is highly affecting, though simplistic in structure it has an incredible ability to penetrate to the core, and touches on the sensitive and personal subject of addiction. Directed by the acclaimed Jack Durman at 1983, the video looks to perfectly visualise the loneliness and isolation that many feel this time of year, but ultimately leads to a message of hope for those that are struggling.
Speaking about the new video, Aaron said, "When I wrote Brother I was in a bit of a dark place emotionally. The song developed to be about battling addiction with a family member, and I slowly began to see myself go down that path as well. To know that there’s help out there is great if you are struggling. When we got the story for the music video I knew I wanted to put it out. We don’t need to live in the dark and there’s always a way out."
CALM is leading a movement against suicide. Every week 125 people in the UK take their own lives. And 75% of all UK suicides are male. CALM exists to change this. If you’re struggling, CALM’s helpline and webchat are open from 5pm until midnight, 365 days a year. No matter who you are or what you're going through, it's free, anonymous and confidential. To find out more visit the www.thecalmzone.net
‘Brother’ was recorded with Ed Tullet (who works/performs with Novo Amor) at his house just outside of Cardiff and was produced by Ed & Joe Rubel and mastered by Grammy & Mercury-nominated Mix & Mastering Engineer Prash.
Aaron has recently been announced on the line-up for a number of UK festivals next year. See below for the full list of performances so far.
The Road to The Great Escape - Glasgow // 8-9th May 2021
The Road to The Great Escape - Dublin // 10-11th May 2021
The Great Escape - Brighton // 12-15th May 2021
Barn on the Farm Festival - Gloucester // 1st-5th July 2021
TRNSMT - Glasgow // 9-11th July 2021
In July 2019 Aaron Smith created quite a stir with the release of this debut single 'Unspoken', which featured in the #1 spot on both Spotify UK New Music Friday and Apple Music's 'Best of the Week' playlists, pipping both Beyoncé and Sam Smith to the post. 'Unspoken' has gone on to clock up over 20 million streams worldwide. Aaron recorded an acoustic version of the single for BBC Scotland in his hometown of Polmont. Watch it here
The release of his debut single ‘Unspoken’, created a groundswell of industry interest from the likes of Music Business Worldwide and Music Ally. It featured on BBC Radio 1’s ‘Best New Pop Songs’ for August 2019 and in numerous Spotify and Apple Music playlists including ‘The Most Beautiful Songs in The World’, ‘The A-List: New Artists’, ‘Pop Right Now’ and ‘Future Hit, and saw him tipped by tastemakers including The Scotsman, The Independent and HMV as the latter’s their Next Big Thing.
Earlier this year Aaron Smith took to the stage for Stand Up To Cancer at Union Chapel alongside; Maisie Peters, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Marika Hackman, White Lies and Kitt Philippa. Not to mention sold-out headline shows in London and Glasgow in March 2020.
Aaron Smith’s music sounds so bucolic, so natural, that it encourages you to think of something beautiful, almost pastoral. The reality, though, is a little harsher. The songwriter’s journey, his experiences of both love and trauma, fuel his music.
Picking up the guitar following a bout of friendly competition with his cousin, Aaron became infatuated with music; later, he discovered a makeshift studio in a dusty corner of his school’s music department, and began sketching out songs – simple, at first, but then more complex, more confident. “It wasn’t great, but it was workable,” he recalls. “I was self-taught, really. I wrote my first song when I was 14, put it on Facebook, and started from there. That’s how I discovered I could write songs.”
2021 will see Aaron release more new music. Keep up with him on his socials for more music, updates, and additional exciting news to be announced.
https://www.facebook.com/aaronsmithsmusic