Track of the Week: What Pulls You // ORIAN
Simply put: ORIAN is the creation of veteran singer-songwriter Joey Ryan. After decades of performing as a solo artist, Ryan chose to adopt the moniker ORIAN in 2019 moving away from acoustic folk to a more indie-pop style. Featured on RTE Radio One, Fritz Radio, Dublin City FM, Indie Republik, Indie Berlin and Analogue Trash, the Germany-based artist is turning heads across Europe. The latest addition to his growing discography is the single ‘What Pulls You’.
Melding elements of indie-rock and alternative rock, ORIAN’s music has a husky poignancy to the tune. Reminiscent of Hozier, which happens to be one of his influences, the dynamic guitars and drums meld with fragile vocals. A guitar-driven single, ‘What Pulls You’ places you in a whirlpool of sound with strong guitar riffs carrying you along the turbulent water. Yet, while there are lulls in instrumentation adding seriousness to the melody, the crescendos into catchy choruses have a powerful impact lifting your soul.
Melodically, ‘What Pulls You’ takes you on a journey through sound, but it is the delicate vocals that add another dimension. Harmonically merging with the melody, ORIAN’s dulcet tones shimmer like a silver thread in a mire of despair. The roughness exudes raw honesty as ORIAN touches on issues of bullying, isolation and inner turmoil. Elegantly executing these emotional lyrics with a personal narrative, ORIAN engages with people on a deeper level.
“In school, there was no allowance for feeling down or any avenue to pursue to talk to anyone about it. It was very much a “grin and bear it with a smile on your face” kind of attitude, which is incredibly dangerous and wrong. I wanted to address this for the first time in my music as these experiences have left a lingering impact on me. This song is a testament to that allowing people in and not suffering in silence.” – ORIAN on ‘What Pulls You’
An anthemic, infectious and hypnotic track, ‘What Pulls You’ is a kaleidoscopic soundscape for lost souls. It has an intensity and intimacy that burrows in your brain, reverberates down your spine and leaves you gasping for breath. I love it!