I can’t lie nor deny, sad songs make me happy and the king of the sad song, or at least a sharer of the court of sad songs, is Boston based songwriter-guitarist Nate Leavitt. Leavitt’s voice has a worn and scratched quality to it. You can feel the emotion quake through your body when he sings the words of his songs. It’s uncanny how he is able to convey emotions in such a way. The slow strum of an acoustic guitar, on point harmonies from guitarist Dan Nicklin and keys player Magen Tracey and solid base laid by the rhythm section sets the groundwork for Nate to tell his tale. Melancholy, but in some ways showing some light and hope. And he serves up the songs just how I like them, with a bit of sadness on the side.
The video itself is a blend of the band performing high above the city with the Boston skyline looming in the background and a story that follows the narrative of the song of sending off a signal. A bottle with a note inside, a cluster of characters passing the frames of the film. It is really shot quite nicely. The tones of the filmic look following the slow moving pace of the tune.
Nate Leavitt’s latest EP with his band The Elevation is out now. You can pick it up all over the place: Bandcamp, iTunes, and Spotify . Go on and give it a listen.
Photo Credit: Derek Kouyoumjian