Canadian artist Donovan Woods his ready for even wider international discovery, beginning with the release of his new single 'Clean Slate'.
'Clean Slate' is a really beautiful and mellow track with a country / folk inspired sound, as well as added guitar and subtle synth sounds to give an indie-rock vibe. It's full feeling and Donovan's vocal is smooth and pure, a track to warm the heart. A truly melodic, emotional and focused track which is highly listenable.
Donovan says:
“This is a love song about falling in love and how it makes you feel like you’re a new person. But slowly you realise you’re still the same person with all the hang-ups you’ve always had, and it’s a drag. It feels like the narrator will hear this song five years from now and feel embarrassed. What I love about it is that it feels like a very pure expression by someone with the best intentions.”
‘Clean Slate’ heralds the start of a new approach. Throughout his upcoming releases, Donovan will support black and indigenous business communities, struggling artists and independent record stores that have been affected by the pandemic. He explained in the full post on Instagram,
“Soon I’ll be releasing new music, and I’ll promote it on my social media platforms, but I’m not interested in getting back to business as usual. This release will feel different, purposefully. So many artists are out of work, or in precarious situations. We’ll be diverting funds that would normally go to advertising and hiring independent creators.
We’ll be using promo budgets to support Black-owned and indigenous-owned businesses, and partnering with independent record stores to make ordering vinyl easier and more meaningful.
This new record is about the hopelessness of writing relationship songs when it feels like it’s the end of the world. Hopefully it’s just the end of the unjust world we’ve known. Reach out with any ideas you might have and I’ll see you soon”
Donovan paints themes of heartache and joy, connection and redemption in such vivid hues that, even if you don't know the characters in his songs, we all see ourselves in his narratives. It’s a skill that’s earned him a huge following around the world and high-profile credits, over 265 million streams to date with 1.5 million monthly listeners and a JUNO Award for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year for his most recent album ‘Both Ways’.
Listen to 'Clean Slate' HERE Instagram: @donovanwoods