Alex McEwan’s career to date is a fascinatingly unusual tale of two chapters. The first time around his single
‘Make A Wave’ was playlisted at
Radio 2 and praised by
Mojo, leading to a major
UK tour as guest to
Katie Melua. Eighteen years later, he’s in the midst of an unexpected resurgence with his recent releases picking up
Single of the Week at
BBC Radio Scotland, further airplay from
Amazing Radio,
Amazing Roots and
CountryLine Radio, plus praise from
Americana UK,
Maverickand
XS Noize.
Today Alex shares his new single ‘Take It Back To Zero’ which previews the September 28th release of his new album ‘In A World We Don’t Know’. Listen HERE.
‘Take It Back To Zero’ sees Alex stepping confidently into pop-country territory, a subtle shift away from the more traditional leanings of his recent tracks ‘Hold Your Hands Out To Me’ and ‘Rodeo Star’, but delivered with equal accomplishment. Its catchy hook instantly lingers in the mind as Alex’s lyrics yearn for the past – but with a warmth that shows that those nostalgic moments are the roots for positive aspects within his present day life.
Alex says, “‘Take It Back to Zero’ is a nostalgic song influenced by Van Morrison’s ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ and speaks to more innocent times and happy memories.”
Written by Alex, the song was then completed with mixing courtesy of the hitmaker Ash Howes (Jack Savoretti, Keith Urban, Passenger).
‘Take It Back To Zero’ is released as Alex prepares to play a major show as special guest to The Shires at Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow on July 28th.
The story behind Alex’s return is definitely intriguing. In the years since his first hit, Alex excelled within a new career – his adventures in music were firmly in the past aside from having a larger-than-life story to tell his colleagues. Yet in the depths of his mind lurked the nagging feeling that he had more to offer.
Those thoughts remained dormant until he was on a Caribbean cruise in 2019, when his wife persuaded him to step up and perform at an open mic session. He put the rapturous reception he received down to late night holiday hijinks, but spent the rest of the trip being approached by people who had enjoyed his performance. That was the impetus for him to start writing and recording again, resulting in the single ‘In A World We Don’t Know’ being embraced by the UK Americana community. His experiences are an uplifting reminder that you never quite know where life will take you next…