Close Your Eyes and Think of Nothing – Pavey Ark
Pavey Ark are a fast-rising alternative folk band from Hull, fronted by singer and songwriter Neil Thomas. Formed in 2016, their debut album âClose Your Eyes and Think of Nothing” is out March 20th. Today, the band have shared the title track from it. The phrase is taken from the song âPrivate Hellâ by The Jam, songwriter Neil Thomas explains the meaning behind it a little more:
“Long before Pavey Ark existed I always thought it would be a great title for an album. It sounds like such an easy and blissful thing to be able to just Close Your Eyes and Think of Nothing, but itâs incredibly hard to do. The song is about people who are oblivious to whatâs really going on. Blissful ignorance. I wouldnât want to be like that but at the same time it must be so freeing. The song is also about a relationship breakdown⊔
“Close Your Eyes and Think of Nothing” is an exquisite record that displays the talent of each individual masterfully into one cohesive voice, an impressive feat for a group that have found their stride remarkably quickly.
The band have played several major UK festivals including Glastonbury, Cornbury, and in 2019 Bearded Theory, which lead Under The Radar to pick their âexperimental folkâ set as one of the stand outs of the entire festival. Since their short time as a group together theyâve supported names like Badly Drawn Boy, Steve Mason, and Rozi Plain. Songwriter Neil Thomas has had previous experience in the field as a solo artist, and in 2016 he supported notable names such as This Is The Kit, Billie Marten, as well as the now split, Wild Beasts.
Pavey Arkâs debut album, âClose Your Eyes and Think of Nothingâ, intertwines reflections on internal and external life, with Thomas musing on topics including the enormity of first-time fatherhood, dreams of escaping the rat race, the push and pull of relationships past and present, all while conveying a sense of tentative hope for the future.
Opening the record is âWallflowersâ, a beautiful track on which the group marvel at the power of a change in mindset, inspired by a new relationship, that can stop you just âbeing pulled along through life – letting circumstances and situations happen to you rather than seeking them outâ, says Thomas. The track has picked up the love of BBC 6 Musicâs Chris Hawkins already and described by For Folkâs Sake as âlush and layeredâ.
The chorus of the following track and lead single âCuckooâ, came to Thomas mid-dream on a night shortly after the inauguration of Donald Trump. âIn the dream I was floating over a map of the US looking down on a lake and a place called Cuckoo. In the background the chorus to the song was playing in my head. The phenomenon of writing in a dream has only happened to me 4 or 5 times. Itâs amazing when it does happen, but they havenât always evolved into finished songs. As I got out of bed and grabbed my guitar at about 4am, I knew this one was a definite keeper.â
At itâs heart it is actually a positive song, as itâs about meeting someone on the same wavelength as you, who can see through the painted picture to the reality behind. A shared longing to escape and leave the city woes far behind.â In part two of the song the tempo shifts down a gear into a lazy swagger. ââTruth blind, tongue-tied, weâre waiting. Held back or fast tracked, weâre waitingâ. Itâs a reminder that we are all in the same boat. Drifting through the âdeep… black… wild… calm…â on the same tiny rock. Powerful and wealthy or the polar opposite, we are all the same… weâre all just playing for time.â
Other highlights from the record include title-track âClose Your Eyes and Think of Nothingâ (itself a line from the Jam song âPrivate Hellâ) that sees Thomas dreaming of âblissful ignoranceâ, the stunning build of âHidden Hillsâ which Thomas describes as being ââŠabout meeting the person you love, a chance encounter within such a huge expanse of time, and how special that isâ, the candid yet complex âBreaking Outâ, and the lovingly nostalgic âJenny Let Goâ.
The band site classic influences like Nick Drake, Love, Jackson C. Frank, Michael Chapman and Rodriguez, as well as artists like Aldous Harding, Father John Misty, This Is The Kit, and Dark Dark Dark, as being essential to the overall sound and style of production on the record. Thomasâ poetic observations on the album are often cradled with intricate guitar lines, melodic bass, resplendent strings, and warming drum brushes, all delicately balanced to capture the tiny revelations that emerge throughout our lives.
âClose Your Eyes and Think of Nothingâ recognises the difficult complexities of humanity, but finds hope, love, and beauty as the key to survival time and again â feelings which the album itself also inspires upon each listen.
Listen to previous singles:
“Wallflowers” + “Cuckoo”
“It’s a beautiful thing” – 1st 3 Magazine
