Image by Daniel Kelaart //

Dan Sultan digs deep while stripping things back on his latest track ‘Needing Love’.

It feels like a bit of an oxymoron to say that Dan Sultan’s stripping things back on a track that incorporates a gospel choir and was written and recorded with heavyweight UK songwriter-producer Guy Chambers, but there’s an unmistakable rawness in both the performance and mix that leaves nothing on the table…

It’s easy to imagine ‘Needing Love’ beginning life with a piano and acoustic guitar (this might be because I last saw him play during his acoustic run of shows), before being built upon with layers and layers and then reined in in the mix. Because of this, it’s both sonically lush as fuck and hits you like you’re in the room as it’s being performed live.

Don’t know where to begin with the vocals TBH. It’s clear that there was some lightning captured in a bottle here, with Sultan wailing like a man possessed in the best way, which must have something to do with the themes of the song — the man is in need.

“’Needing Love’ is raw, stripped back, and powerful with mainly vocals and minimal instrumentation. This approach serves as a breath of fresh air sonically, while still achieving a full, high-energy, and rich sound,” Sultan says. “It is simply a love song that is delivered with unapologetic conviction and incredible performances. It is heavily gospel-influenced, and this approach helps the song land with its truest of intentions. Love.”

The clip, which was directed by Daniel Kelaart & Daniel Petchey (that’s a lot of Dans on one set!), perfectly encapsulates the bold but centred tones of the track. Here, we see a few key studio shots executed nicely, giving the song the space to do the talking:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwUoyWYCoG4

If ‘Needing Love’ is any indication of what’s to come, Dan’s next chapter is shaping up nicely. He’ll soon head to London to join Guy Chambers for an intimate edition of the Voices with Guy Chambers concert series before returning home for a run of regional headline shows and a slot at Brisbane’s Blak Day Out. Needless to say, we’re hoping there’s plenty more where this came from.

Buy/stream ‘Needing Love’ here.