Skinny Living unveil new single 'Only I' - Audience & Talent Development for the Music Industry

Skinny Living unveil new single ‘Only I’

Skinny Living release their new single ‘Only I’ on August 26th through the band’s own label ‘Orange Room Records and distributed via Red Essential.

The song is taken from the Wakefield based band’s debut EP – ‘III’ also due for release on the 26th August. ‘Only I’ is a dynamic piece of acoustic soul showcasing Belfast born singer Ryan Johnston’s haunting vocals and revealing lyrics.

The track reflects on a time when Ryan found himself in a tricky situation with some local hard men and someone placed a gun in front of him and said, “This is how you sort this.” “I thought, ‘I am not that person,’” he remembers. “It was a major wake up call, but the song’s about how easy it is for any of us to go down that rabbit hole, and find ourselves in these sort of situations.”

‘Only I’ premiered a moment ago on Clash, and can now be streamed below.

Skinny Living’s story isn’t one of rags to riches so much as one of grinding poverty, troubling situations and relentless hard graft. It’s also one of synchronicity, chance meetings, and unflinching belief that their glorious acoustic soul – with its echoes of Bill Withers, the Isley Brothers and Paulo Nutini – will out. As it is doing, with a timeless, gentle beauty and lyrical wisdom far beyond the band’s years.

Johnston was born in Belfast to a Catholic mother from the Republican area and a Protestant father from the other side of town. Their polar opposite backgrounds meant a family move to Bangor, Ryan said “this definitely affected who I am, and maybe made me think more, about things than I otherwise would have.”

Leaving home 19 brought financial hardship, dead end jobs and a drift down the wrong path for Johnston and eventually led him to Wakefield, an open mic night and the eventual incarnation of Skinny Living.

“I’ve definitely lived a life. If we sound much older than we are it’s because we have done the rounds, but just in different fields of life” explains Johnston.

Having played myriad of festivals this Summer including Live at Leeds, Dot To Dot, The Great Escape, Barn on the Farm, Secret Garden Party, Kendal Calling, Boardmasters and forthcoming appearances at Reeperbahn and more, the band head out on a 13-date UK and Ireland tour in October including a headline show at The Lexington, London.

Live Dates:

September

4th – Together The People, Brighton

21-24 – Reeperbahn Festival, Hamburg

October

11th – The Albert, Brighton

12th – The Louisiana, Bristol

14th – Voodoo, Belfast

15th – Whelans (Upstairs), Dublin

17th – The Cookie, Leicester

18th – The Cluny, Newcastle

19th – Broadcast, Glasgow