A little story to go with it:

I wrote “Tradewinds” as part of the batch of songs for my new album I’m working on. It literally may have come to me during the morning meditation pictured on the cover. Or to be more specific, it started as a few notes in my head walking from our room to the beach in Poipu last summer. Then I kept thinking about it during my morning surf session. Initially, I conceived it as sort of emo-rock, a la Explosions In The Sky or early 80’s Cure. A simple repeating phrase with a powerful, dramatic undercurrent.

Lyrically it was one of those songs that felt like a download from the universe. On the plane ride home I just started scribbling in my black and white notebook and didn’t stop until it was done just a complimentary mai-tai later. Spending time in Hawaii, it’s hard not to recognize the influence of the Tradewinds on everyday life. Then I decided to try to tell a bigger story. We humans get so caught up in our little affairs and dramas - but the winds, and the stars, and the oceans have just been doing their thing since time immemorial. And also their forces have guided our existence. My story is a spiritual one as well as human. My creative sweet spot.

As my new album began to take shape, I was never able to figure out how Tradewinds fit in. Which I found curious, because the subject matter is right in line with everything I like to write about, including the arc of this album. Alas, my single idea. I’ve never released a “single” before. But the timing feels right, some art to offer while I toil in the trenches of my bigger project. And there’s a light refreshing-ness to it which feels good as we emerge from the seasonal darkness and into the Summer fun months.

Lastly, the vocal-and-uke arrangement just kind of happened. I leaned into the simple sound for its uniqueness in my catalog. And for multiple reasons, it just seems fitting. No big production bells and whistles, I just wanted to tell a story. It’s just a song, after all, and I like it. I hope you do too.

Much love from the PD-verse