Delafaye - “City Lights”

Kentucky-born, Indiana-based singer-songwriter Andrew Shockley, aka Delafaye, arrives on our blog with “City Lights,” a remarkable offering to the realm of gritty Americana.

The track first enters your ears by way of an intimate and lo-fi acoustic guitar, gently strumming through a couple of bars before the satisfying arrival of the rhythm section. Bass and drums superbly hold down the track’s foundation as Shockley begins his vocal performance, which is full of all the necessary authentic warmth to land it firmly within our niche.

The chorus allows room for some keys to appear, adding substantial width to the arrangement, which is already steeped in an honest and melancholic vibe. The end of each refrain is marked by the removal of elements, bringing the sound back down to the intimacy of the acoustically-driven intro and providing a pleasant ebb and flow to the soundscape.

The final third of “City Lights” is defined by a gloriously reverberating guitar solo, tastefully deploying a cinematic ambience as it soars above the heartbeat of the track. Instead of rushing back in for another chorus, Shockley has, instead, utilized a warbling synth to bring the song to a climax, adding a rich texture to the tune, as well as a slight sense of urgency. This is genuine Americana craftsmanship at its very finest.

About the track, Shockley adds: “I wrote this song sitting at home in my back room. Was feeling overwhelmed and stressed about my day to day. I grabbed an acoustic and this song came out. Hard to explain where songs come from but this one fell into my lap.” “City Lights” comes ahead of Delafaye’s forthcoming EP, Beachwood, due out this Spring via Street Mission Records.

-HD