‘Summer of Soul’, the new single from legendary New York band The Bogmen, begins with the dreamy interplay between the guitar and keys; it’s a hypnotic opening that pulls us into a finely crafted song. As the song builds and grows, Billy Campion’s distinctive vocal, edged with grit, soars: “I am the thunder // I love the wonder of it all,” and there’s an glorious, epic feel to the swelling melody and surging anthemic chorus. The song is full of tension and drama, aided by changes of pace and volume, moments when the instrumentation retreats and Campion’s words and tuneful voice come to the fore. In the accompanying video, directed by Chris Cassidy and edited by Cassidy and Sarah Violette, the hazy, distorted images of the band playing add to the song’s atmosphere.
Guitarist Billy Ryan says of the song: “‘Summer of Soul’ is a song that came out of the strange days of the pandemic in the summer of 2020. They were dark days indeed compounded by the loss of a dear friend. It was a song that Brendan and I had with a working title ‘My Shangri-La’. Billy Campion took the music and wrote some pretty heavy lyrics.”
Brendan Ryan, who supplies those tumbling keys, adds: “‘Summer of Soul’ is one of our new songs and videos that has gotten a lot of positive feedback. I like the space in the track because it gives the lyrics a chance to really stand out. I find it to be very melodic. The video was directed by Chris Cassidy, and is a hybrid between green screen individual performances mixed with live footage from a multi-cam shoot at Webster Hall in NYC. I love how Cassidy was able to make the two seamless through the use of filters and post production.”
‘Summer of Soul’ is the third single from The Bogmen’s highly-anticipated new album ‘In My Kingdom’. Their third full-length album is also their first in over 25 years. Billy Ryan says of the band’s new music: “The pandemic was a strange time again, different, but dark and tragic just the same. The world seemed to be falling apart and people were becoming divided and confused. There was a reversion back to our primordial instincts of survival, a return to nature and a reflection on religion and spirituality. This is reflected in the music of this record.” Back in the early ’90s, when on the road with the likes of Shane McGowan of The Pogues and Barenaked Ladies, The Bogmen acquired a reputation for great live shows and received critical acclaim for their first two albums. ‘In My Kindom’ has been a long time coming and its release will delight the band’s cult following. Look out for the new album on 31st May 2024 – it promises to be a compelling listen.
