Ashton York effectively balances a tumultuous memory from the past with a beautiful performance, showcasing a more vulnerable and honest face for this musician in what feels like his most personal work to date.
Ashton York – Awful Time
Ashton York is a singer and songwriter from San Francisco, California. Drawing influences from prominent acts like Surjan Stevens, Sparklehorse, and Night Beds, his calm and relaxing style has been a trademark, delivering soulful songs with a high sentimental value.
His 2018 debut album You Are My Sanity was a crucial turning point, receiving positive feedback from critics and indie blogs alike, with the track Beach Song reaching over a hundred thousand streams on Spotify and YouTube thus far.
While his previous releases always had a very profound vibe, Awful Time takes a step further in this department, this melody is about a very dark chapter in Ashton’s life, a time when he got himself struggling with alcoholism and drug addiction following the death of his father, and also how this terrible situation made him distant from his loved ones.
Of course, a song of this nature needed instrumentation equally heavy-hearted, something that this piece does impressively well while keeping some elements that York has been known for in his music. The graceful piano rendition and the sorrowful violins add even more emotional distress to Ashton’s remorseful voice.
Awful Time is a tragic composition of regret and repentance beautified thanks to its staggering musicianship.
It takes a lot of courage not only to overcome an addiction problem but also to talk about it in such an open way, and because of this, Awful Time feels like the most significant offering in Ashton York’s career, evidencing his maturity as an artist and as a person. Hopefully, this will be a fresh start of positivity and success for this musician.
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