The near four-minute track sees the Melbourne singer-songwriter strip it back with his first release for 2021.
With an affinity for emotional intimacy and indie-folk soundscapes, Acoustic Foxx – the moniker for Melbourne singer-songwriter Craig Williams – has spent the last decade carefully crafting his sound into a unique blend of genres and sensibilities.
With two albums and a string of releases under his belt, Williams is well and truly stepping into the light with his first release for 2021, ‘Shine A Light’.
The follow-up single to his 2020 track ‘This Time’ laced with acoustic guitar, a harmonica and a lot of soul, ‘Shine A Light’ continues Acoustic Foxx’s authentic exploration into dark acoustic, indie-folk soundscapes, taking a nod to the ’90s grunge movement.
Once again teaming up with Joshua Whitehead at Crosstown Studios, the near four-minute track sees Williams strip it back, putting a spotlight on his sultry voice, signature acoustic sound and thoughtfully honest lyrics.
“I think this track was a little more thought out than others I’ve written,” Williams explains.
“I wanted to write more fingerpicking songs to sound out that beautiful tone an acoustic guitar can produce, which would also allow more room for my vocals not competing with a heavily strummed guitar. I had been tinkering around at home at the time with more fingerpicking style so it definitely grew from that.
“I think the more songs I write and the older I get, the pickier I get and the more time I have to put into them to be happy with the final result, I’m ok with that.”
Taking us on a warm, chilled out sonic journey, the track caresses delicate melodies but isn’t afraid to dig in on the bridge with bright, droning acoustic guitars and dreamy layered vocals. The chorus is a gentle earwig, courtesy of Williams’ emotionally charged and beautifully self-assured voice, while the overall production of the song exudes lush and hypnotic qualities, making it worth a second and third listen.
Taking cues from George Harrison and his knack for honestly and beautifully saying a lot with a little, Williams takes us on an introspective and intimate journey with ‘Shine A Light’, circling themes of appreciation, the speed of life, and the unfailing power music has to pull heartstrings and connect to different people in positive ways that no other medium can.
“It’s an acknowledgment of the current moment I’m at in my journey of life and as a musician, I tend to feel like I’m always running out of time because life moves so fast. Since I was younger, like many others I dreamed of being a successful musician touring the world. That also came from reading my favourite musicians’ biography’s and really engraining that dream deep inside me.
“This song is a way to accept I’m older than I was back then, although I feel much the same, things may not have turned out exactly like I had dreamt or hoped but that doesn’t mean my songs can’t touch someone in a special way like so many songs have done to me.
“If you relate to what I’m singing in this song, then hopefully you feel like I’m just singing to you. Music is always there for us when we need it. Just shine a light on me even for a brief moment ‘before I grow old, before the flame gets cold and before my voice breaks’.”
Fusing poignant and arresting lyrics with subdued soundscapes and delicate, pulsing beats, the initial inspiration for the single was spawned from the 2018 emotional spectacle ‘A Star Is Born’, starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.
“There was a scene where Bradley Cooper’s character jumps on stage and plays to a half-empty bar, this sort of slow tune that really breathes and holds the audience,” Williams explains.
“I’d been wanting to write more songs like that where I can be in the moment on stage and slow things down. It’s taken me years to build that sort of confidence where I could do that on stage and not just go for it by strumming too hard or fast when I get nervous.
“The movie at least inspired me to pick up the guitar when I got home so I sat at the end of my coffee table and come up with that main part, the main riff of the song. The end result sounds nothing like the song in the movie, it just inspired it.”
The song comes alongside a new film clip shot by Andy from Lost in Film and directed, produced and edited by Melissa R. Filmed along a striking abandoned bayside among rocky landscapes in Melbourne’s South East at sunset, the tranquil video is just as composed as the track, speaking to Williams’ confidence as a musician who knows how to connect to a listener.
“Sometimes it only takes a phrase or one line of the lyrics in a song to make someone feel connected and like the song is theirs, that’s what I love about music. All I can hope is that people like it and want to hear more, and there’s plenty more to come.”
Check out the video for ‘Shine A Light’ below.
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