LP in Focus: 'Running in the Dark' by Paul Doffing

I felt the vibe in Doffing's music the very first time I casually began listening to 'Running in the Dark' on SoundCloud. There are three songs that constitute the LP: 'Running in the Dark', 'Easy As You Come' and 'In Your Eyes'. I also ended up listening to 'Shake You' subsequently and I wouldn't hesitate to accept that I really had not expected the music to be this pleasing, this tender and as convincing. 

As someone who grew up in an ambiance very intricately associated with the practice of interpreting literature, I have been more attracted to lucid poetry than probably most of the other distractions life has to offer to you! And when poetry blends right with melody, melancholia, mystery or human emotions of the more deeper kind, you make the right kind of music. Most often than not, the chords diverge here and there and the cluster of light that is borne is good enough, close to, resting somewhere - in some plane, at a distance from the truest sense of music. The closer you get, the better are the memories made. 

Listening to 'In Your Eyes', what would primarily attract the ears is probably the amaaaazing voice that Paul has been blessed with. It is such a beautiful combination of tranquility, and solace and depth - is phonetically similar to that of Irish musician Andrew Hozier but somewhat more fluid, and probably even a little more tender at points. This itself could be reason enough to listen to his music, but there are other important reasons that must be talked about. His music has been featured on the Today Show NBC, Guitar World, Diffuser and Folk Radio UK.

The lyrics, although fairly simple, seem to be have been drawn from the depth of experience - which is probably even rooted in the fact that Doffing has already travelled more than half the distance around the circumference of the earth: 12,500 miles (20,000 km) on his bicycle! And his perception of nature, the proximity of exchange that has taken place between the soul and the world shows in his music. The twist in the story is when you listen to the soulful blend of psychedelic elements into the song - mostly in the area associated with the melody and instrumentals. That particularly makes it really hard to put his music into a single genre - simply calling his music "indie" or "psychedelic pop" or even country-inspired-indie doesn't do justice. It clearly defies demarcation lines and stretches over multiple genres and it would be safe to call it experimental indie psychedelic on that note, I suppose. 😛 

'Running in the Dark' is a song that encapsulates in its body the idea and rhythm associated with motion and vice versa. That is exactly the role 'psychedelia' is supposed to play, though. It is supposed to make you experience music rather than simply listening to it. 

'Easy As You Come' is yet another beautiful song and starts releasing the more tender, tranquil, serene vibes that might turn out to be Doffing's signature in music in the coming days. Speculations apart, we will wait for him to write new songs in the coming days. 

I ended up listening to another single called 'Shake You' subsequently and it was a different journey, altogether. What I also loved about his music was exempting the overemphasis on unnecessary areas for just the sake of popularising it. His music is real, and is alive, and has its own existence. 

The soft notes blended with, embedded in the more prominent, pronounced arenas will definitely take you through a different plane, something that is unique and deserves admiration in its own right. 

You can listen to the LP on SoundCloud.

You can listen to 'Shake You' on Spotify. You can also head to the artist's website here. 

Note: This is a sponsored post. However, views expressed are honest and of my own. To get your music featured, write to us at titassparkles@gmail.com or reach us via the contact form available at the bottom of this page.