Pat McCay re-emerged in the SA music space early in 2020, after undergoing an important personal journey that put him on a new trajectory, both as a human and a musician.
The Capetonian singer-songwriter has never been more inspired, and now follows the release of his 2020 EP, Ready, with some beautifully written and deftly produced new tracks that showcase his talents in its purest form and shine a spotlight on themes that lie close to his heart.
The first major release since his Prosper You single, Never Dead, is about the power of slowing down. Pat wrote it on a three-day solo hike into the mountains.
“There has always been a deep desire for me to go out into the wild as a rite of passage if you will - just me, nature, and wide open spaces. I like to believe that the song found me out there. Cutting out the distractions of everyday life and taking time to rest in nature afforded me the opportunity to dig deep,” he explains.
According to Pat, Never Dead is the first song that was written in which he intentionally broke the fourth wall to engage with the listener. This can be heard quite evidently in the lyrics in the first verse “there’s a gift inside of you, and a gift is made for giving”.
“I have been grappling with the concept of giving and receiving in the world of music in recent years. Many musicians, myself included in my earlier career, play to receive rather than give, but it's possible for this exchange to work both ways.”
“Our creativity can come alive and be sparked in an instant if we expose ourselves to the right material. I like to think my sound is fresh and has an original vibe to it and can do just that - inspire people. My hope is that many people are touched and moved by the song,” says Pat.
Never Dead advocates entering into stillness and slowing down to go beyond your mind to find the still small voice inside.
“Through practicing meditation I can quite confidently say that when we take time to be still, we become more in touch with ourselves and our gifts and how to express them in this world,” Pat explains.
“Increasingly, singer-songwriters and musicians are trying to create authentic visual content for their audiences. The thinking behind the video for this track was, what’s more authentic than capturing the song while it’s being created in studio? So we did just that and we believe it came out great,” says Pat about the music video.
Pat has a total of 12 tracks recorded and ready to go. His next step is to work out how and when he is going to present them to the world.
Keep an eye out for his next release, Six String of Love, an enigma of a song that pushed Pat beyond his comfort zone to explore beyond his perceived boundaries of his musical abilities.
“The song is technically difficult to play on guitar, and the lyrics are also on the technical side. After a couple of failed attempts at trying to record a fully-produced studio version, the song was finally captured live at Cosher studios on the second take, and in its rawest form. The video and track will be released soon.”
