Newton Faulkner is entering a new territory, and it's magnetic. Now, with his latest single "Gravitational," the dear singer-songwriter tosses out the warm acoustic embrace of yore for a sparkling electro-pop sheen. It's invigoratingly unlike anything we might've expected. The song written alongside INK., which has long been a highlight of his live show, serves as a standout taste of his forthcoming album "OCTOPUS," due out September 19th on Cooking Vinyl. "Gravitational" explores that exhilarated, off-kilter moment when someone you never saw coming throws your emotional compass entirely askew. As Faulkner explains it, it's about "someone totally catching you off guard and blowing your mind." And that feeling permeates every beat, synth swirl, and melodic turn.
Recorded in his East London studio, which he has turned into a creative lab, Faulkner brings playful curiosity to this single. There's a looseness in the way the production drapes over his vocals. It highlights his storytelling. The electronic textures mirror the track's theme of being unable to resist someone's orbit with a sense of weightlessness. It's gravitational, something more profound, weirder, and utterly extralogical. Unburdened by genre expectations, Faulkner is no longer shackled. With "OCTOPUS," he's signaling, and the next chapter of his artistry will be unbound, exploratory, and above all, true. And if it may be slightly removed from his early material, the emotional fingerprint is unmistakably his own.
There's also a lightness here as he jumped into a writing session with INK., which was fun-filled, and you can hear it. The song sounds like what happens when two creatives let loose, follow intuition, and allow the process to work. And that feeling of joy and discovery is contagious. "Gravitational" is the herald of a fresh mentality. Newton Faulkner is taking more risks now. And now he's floating into new dimensions, and we have the good fortune to get swept up in the pull. "OCTOPUS" is coming, and if this single is any indication, it's going to be Faulkner's most riveting jump yet.
Discover Newton Faulkner on Instagram