It’s always nice to be able to share good news about homegrown talent, and Dan Stock is currently flying the flag for Milton Keynes, writes Sammy Jones.
The young singer-songwriter, who cut his teeth as part of the duo Reporters, struck out solo some time ago.
Select shows out of town pricked the ears of labels, and a deal was eventually struck with Heavenly Recordings, which means he shares a working home with Mark Lanegan and Baxter Dury.
Talk about being among great company.
“It really is a dream come true to have signed to Heavenly,” he told me.
“Some of my favourite albums growing up through to now were released on their label, so to be a small part of that is a huge honour.
“The first band I ever saw live was The Magic Numbers when they supported The Who in 2005, so to be on the same label is pretty surreal!”
His debut recording for the label, the three-track Take It Too Far EP is fresh to the racks and has been securing Dan’s position as ‘one to watch’.
“It’s about a relationship so fragile it can be undone in an instant,” Dan said.
“Despite the people in the song being well aware it’s probably not a good idea, something keeps bringing them back together and the fallout happens all over again.
“All of my songs start with me and an acoustic guitar recording into my phone.
“I’ve got early demos of this which sound dark and bleak but James Bagshaw’s production and Marta Salogni’s mix made the song come alive and we turned it into a joyous, gritty pop song.
“There’s a friction between the words and the music which I’m really happy with.”
And early comparisons from industry sorts are more than a little encouraging: “It has been really nice to be compared to some of my heroes such as Elvis Costello and Bruce Springsteen,” he admitted, “especially so early on.”
Dan will make more friends when he plays select live shows this May in Leeds, Liverpool, Salford and London.
He is also confirmed for The Great Escape in Brighton.
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