Philip Jonathan has released his highly-accomplished debut Seafront. Even without seeing the accompanying visuals, the song takes you to a stormy beach, wind whipping your hair and the sharp tang of sea salt on your lips. Acoustics capture a bruised sky and Philip’s raw and emotive vocals soar bird-like as percussions explode over a rolling ocean. It displays a range of emotions from melancholy, heartfelt to passionate.
Seafront is about searching for meaning beyond day-to-day life. Philip Jonathan says of the song: “In trying to find the right language for this yearning – in music, words, rhythm – I am only left with silence. And this song is asking whether I’m still heard in that silence.”
Northumberland based artist Philip Jonathan told Neon Music exclusively, “I’m a storyteller at heart, which is why I chose to release Seafront before any of my other tracks. The music for the song came long before the words, back when I was still mainly writing instrumentals; but I felt it was communicating a story that seemed to somehow tumble out when I finally put pen to paper. It may feel a bit abstract (especially compared to many of my other lyrics) and I’ve had a few listeners say they liked it but had no clue what it was about, which always makes me laugh! But I think personally, it’s a song that reminds me that I am connected to something much greater than myself.”
Seafront is a fearless introduction to an up and coming British artist.