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and coming artist, Patrick Craig, is taking the music world by storm with his unique punk-folk sound that is sure to make a splash this year. 22-year-old, London native — who looks a bit like James Corden (but prefers hearing that Corden looks like him), began making music in his yearly teenage years after being a part of a punk band and acoustic duo before breaking out on his own. He began writing his own songs and performing wherever he could and the rest is history. His music, often described as alternative, or punk-folk blends two genres together perfectly. For those who haven’t had a listen yet, imagine the edginess of Front Bottoms mixed with folky acoustic sounds of Mumford and Sons and you’ve got Patrick Craig. Craig gives credit to the influence of Frank Turner as being a paramount to his sound, whose music he was introduced to at a young age. However, during the time that he was writing his album he recognitions The Hold Steady, The Mountain Goats, and a few others as massive influences on his punk sound and bands which “hold the lyricism at the forefront of their music” he explains. Craig’s debut record, entitled True Story, was released on April 29. With this album listeners can expect to hear a more mature sound than anything Craig has released previously. Craig explains, “Partly because there’s more instrumentation in the ‘full band’ songs, and partly because this album has taken over a year from start to finish, and I have worked on nearly every minute detail to make it sound the best it can.” The biggest problem Craig came across during the whole process was with the arrangement of some of the songs. He explains that “Fighter” and “Splinters” were huge rock songs originally, with “Splinters” sounding like something from a U2 album. Craig tells us, “I played the demos to a friend and he said, ‘Why? Don’t use drums just because you feel you should.’ Which hit me hard in terms of thinking really strongly about the arrangements, and lead to both these songs being acoustic.” Prior to the album’s release Craig premiered the video for “Begin Again” which came out in early April. The video features Craig alongside a puppet. “The video was a silly idea
at first but I’m so happy with it,” Craig explains. “I’ve always liked puppets and wanted to make a video using some…” He began brainstorming the idea with his girlfriend, who in turn did the actual puppeteering for the video. “Some people have read quite a bit into it, saying that the puppet represents a younger version of myself, or the part of my brain which I need to listen to,” Craig expresses. But, despite some ideas that his fans have about the true meaning behind the video, Craig states that it was built on a much simpler idea; to be visually interesting and to make people smile. Though there isn’t as much intentional meaning behind it, planned by Craig he loves that people are taking their own interpretations from it. “I would encourage anyone to think about what it might mean to him or her,” he says. What’s next for Craig? Well, he hopes to begin touring as much as possible with no particular hesitations on any sort of gigs. “I love any gig, however small or big. If there are people interested in seeing my music then that’s where I want to play,” he said. Like many artists Craig has grown as a musician. With time and hard work he has become a better guitarist and a stronger singer since he started years ago. While some things change, some things don’t, “If I listen to any of the really old demos I have on my laptop I can still hear some of the same ideas that are in my music now. I think spending the last couple of years listening to a wide variety of music has helped massively.” While Craig explains that he is ecstatic to have his debut album out for the world to hear, he is nervous as well, but mostly excited. After having had these songs in his pocket for a while now he’s excited that they’re “…finally getting a proper release”. From here he hopes to continue on the road to success while still connecting with his fans, and we can’t wait to watch him do so. “If someone says that a song has touched them, or they have connected with it emotionally then that’s a success for me. I think my biggest dream is to connect with people as much as possible, for as long as I am able to.”
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