“Shooting Arrows at the Sun” (SINGLE/VIDEO) by David Drake

In “Shooting Arrows at the Sun,” his first dispatch since 2019’s Live from the Gutter, David Drake realigns his sound with a brand of psychedelic folk-rock that brings to mind players like Donovan and Alex Dingley alike. “Shooting Arrows at the Sun” isn’t a druggy dirge, nor does it have the bones of a flower power pop song simply re-stylized for a millennial generation. On the contrary, this track sees Drake employing other avenues of surreal songwriting into his music, leaving a wave of startlingly vulnerable poetry and pulsating melodies behind him in the process.

Official Website: https://www.daviddrakemusic.com/

There isn’t a lot of urgency in the rhythm here, but from where I sit, there really doesn’t need to be in order for us to feel all of the passion driving Drake forward. The video has a little more of a kick to its visual construction than the song does its arrangement, and yet the contrast between the two feels far more intentional than it does the product of mismanaged discordance. David Drake strikes me as the kind of artist who knows what he wants to do in and out of the studio, and this type of multifaceted work only reinforces that kind of thinking.

I really love the simplicity of this release. Both the video and the song on its own are free of the frilly nonsense that has been plaguing rock and independent music in general for far too long now, and though you could accuse this single of being a bit indulgent cosmetically and be one hundred percent right, I wouldn’t say that there’s anything about the excess here that doesn’t feel like it belongs in the grander scheme of things. Calculated composing requires a lot of different angles, and that’s why “Shooting Arrows at the Sun” feels at once complex and streamlined.

Designed with both folkies and dissatisfied rock fans in mind, indie enthusiasts really shouldn’t skip out on David Drake’s “Shooting Arrows at the Sun” this summer. While there have been quite a few interesting tracks emerging from the shadows of the underground this June, this is definitely one of the more unpredictable no matter which way you slice it. Drake has a one of a kind personality that makes this release feel like a signature offering, and if you haven’t already heard his work in the past, I would perhaps recommend starting off with this most recent piece of material.

Mindy McCall