Newcastle’s Callum Pitt shares Fleet Foxes-inspired ‘More Than This’

Newcastle artist Callum Pitt shares heartfelt new single ‘More Than This’

Listen / share: 
https://youtu.be/933uMRHz-L8

Debut album In The Balance is due out June 2nd 

Press image by Daniel Stark

"He harnesses the lilting nature of Americana, producing some intricate guitar licks and roll-off-the-tongue lyrics that converge into a swelling chorus that sweeps you off your feet. Forget your troubles; least you’ll be happy hearing this..." DIY 

“A jaunty, warming slice of indie-folk, the tune showcases his knack for comforting Fleet Foxes-esque richness and depth”
Dork

“an incredibly thoughtful and talented songwriter whose poetic lyricism paints vivid and imaginative imagery to explain every day feelings and emotions” When The Horn Blows

Also supported by The Independent, BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, Amazing Radio and more. 

Listen / share:  https://youtu.be/933uMRHz-L8

Newcastle singer-songwriter Callum Pitt shares new heart-felt single ‘More Than This’; a celebratory, Fleet Foxes-inspired ode to life’s impermanent beauty. “Everything must go, it’s an angel in the snow / And I will never ask for more,” he promises. 

This is the fourth single to be shared from his upcoming debut studio album In The Balance, produced by John Martindale (Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs  & The Pale White) due out June 2nd. Inspired by the rawness and honesty of artists like Elliott Smith, Julien Baker, Adrianne Lenker & Sufjan Stevens, Callum Pitt imbues his indie-folk with grand, orchestral, chamber pop sensibility plus an alt-rock edge. Despite using music often as a canvas to openly discuss depression & anxiety, as well as political unrest, Callum still manages to imprint feelings of optimism and unity, alongside genuine warmth and honesty, throughout his songs.

“Pitt on the single “It is about staying mentally present rather than always looking to the future or potential better days, making sure to fully value often taken-for-granted time with loved ones and not letting important moments pass me by. Basically trying to take in all the impermanent beauty around me and being more grateful for life. Recent experiences with death have shown me how fragile life is, that time together here is fleeting and could end any day. The song takes solace in being part of something bigger in that we came from the universe and will return to the universe.”

The new single comes with accompanying video by director Sel MacLean, and local cinematographer, Ross Marshall (The Cleaner, Famalam) captured  King Street Social Club, North Shields. 

New album In The Balance pinpoints back to one night in 2019, where Pitt was handed an earth-shaking reminder of how much hangs in the balance with each passing second. Minutes after he waved goodbye to his brother and parents as they left his house, a fire engine hit the back edge of their car. They were all unharmed. But if the car was in the engine’s path a fraction of a second later — if Pitt had said one more word at the doorstep — it would have ploughed directly into the drivers’ side. 

He wrote the album, alongside working, over long, eleven-hour days in his bedroom, working only with a nylon-string guitar and cheap 90s keyboard. In the studio, he worked with long-time producer John Martindale to build the scrappy demos into nuanced and rich recordings, featuring a string quartet, trumpets and saxophone. While writing, several different events prompted Pitt to explore questions of existentialism and fate. Besides his family’s car accident, a close friend almost died of an acid overdose after leaving a party at Pitt’s house, and was saved by a passing dog walker at first light. Another friend, with whom Pitt had played music growing up, died by suicide.

28-year-old Pitt has been working on his craft for a decade, beginning in the Newcastle pub scene and gradually refining his thoughtful, poetic songwriting voice. He won the Alan Hull Award for songwriters in 2019, and the Fender Player Plus competition in 2021. Meanwhile, he’s studying a masters in Occupational Therapy, and has worked with children, young people and adults with disabilities through various outlets, including therapeutic music work. These are experiences that shaped In The Balance, his first true body of work, giving him a new perspective on the cathartic and unifying power of music.

In The Balance is an astonishing debut album that marks Pitt as an artist with equal parts vision and talent. As he takes it on stage, he hopes to use his music as a vehicle to create space for other up-and-coming songwriters, including booking shows for fellow artists, and emphasising accessibility and inclusivity. “The North East is a really nice music scene. I’ve got a number of peers who are all really supportive and non-competitive. It doesn’t feel cold, it feels like everyone wants each other to succeed,” he says. This same warmth is key to In The Balance; in a chaotic universe, the instances of connection both big and small can feel like miracles.

Callum Pitt 
In The Balance
(RD: June 2nd)
1. I Feel a God & Devil in This Room 
2. Black Holes In The Sky
3. Crow
4. Fraction of A Second 
5. More Than This
6. Mayfly 
7. Moths and Butterflies 
8. Uncanny Moon 
9. The Will Of The River 

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