Brad Stank, and In The Midst of You!
Photo shot by: Corey Rid
Singer-songwriter, Brad stank, on his soon coming LP, In The Midst of You. This feature catalogs Stank’s thoughts on the new release, his creative process, vulnerability, romance, and more…
Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind your upcoming single, "I Belong to You"?
“It’s a pretty simple love song, with the idea of letting go of the past, and allowing yourself to be in the midst of your lover fully”
You mentioned the influence of the Love Unlimited band on this track. How did their music shape the sound and mood of the song?
“Yeah! I’m a huge fan. They have a song of the same name, which mine is massively inspired by. I tried to make it my own, and obviously it’s pretty different sonically. But I owe them a lot for this one”
What was the creative process like for "I Belong to You," particularly in terms of the song's unique rhythm and lyrical themes?
“Lyrically it’s in keeping with the rest of the album, the ‘in the midst of you’ mindset, and I liked the phrase ‘I belong to you’, it’s a very simple but vulnerable way to state your feelings for somebody”
Could you share your thoughts on the juxtaposition of vulnerability and romance in the song's lyrics, as you mentioned?
“Vulnerability is quite romantic, so I don’t think it’s so much a juxtaposition, but I think I mentioned somewhere that the title could be a Gospel song, which is a line that’s nice to tow, between spirituality and romance. I like to play with that contrast in a lot of my songs”
"I Belong to You" features Lydia Kitto on backing vocals. How did her contribution enhance the overall sound of the track?
“Lydia’s unreal, I’ve known her for a few years now and she did some BVs on my last album too. She came to the studio and just layered this gorgeous harms like it was nothing! She’s v busy these days, I just saw her with Jungle on a late night US show, so I feel v lucky and thankful to her for coming and blessing the song”
This song is part of your upcoming LP, "In The Midst of You." What can listeners expect from the album, and how does "I Belong to You" fit into the larger project?
“It fits in nicely! I see it as a lead-in to Natty Wine, which will make more sense when you can listen to the album through. The record feels more cohesive than anything I’ve done before, more romantic, sonically more interesting… I’m really excited for people to hear it”
Could you provide some insight into the creative direction of your LP and how it explores the essence of creativity and knowledge you mentioned in your bio?
“Yeah, like I said before I wanted it to be more interesting musically than previous records. And really dive into the idea of making it sound romantic and lyrically more vulnerable. For me it’s important, in the context of the wider world, to try and add some sort of beauty to everything that’s going on rather than get dragged down in it. Sometimes it feels like the world is geared towards us all being miserable, so I want to make music in defiance of that”
Can you describe the significance of the title "In The Midst of You" and how it ties into the themes of your new project?
“ It’s a quote from the bible, which is more along the lines of “god is in the midst of you,” etc, so I took that and kinda flipped it into a romantic thing. But I like the title a lot, it feels weighty, and like a good overarching idea of what I was trying to say in the lyrics”
Are there any upcoming performances or events where fans can experience your music in a live setting?
“Yes! We’re doing a UK instore tour in January. And then a proper full band tour in April. I think we’ll get to the US next year too, hopefully September time.”
Written by: Kisi (@zinefreak)
Published on: 11/02/2023
