Exploring paths to discover the magic of Introspection in The Forest Is The Path.
After a silence of six years, Snow Patrol, The iconic band from Northern Ireland returns with a new album titled The Forest Is The Path. This long-awaited work follows Wildness (2018) and marks a renewed chapter in the band's career, as well as being a deeply reflective sonic journey.
The Forest Is The Path is an album that explores the depths of introspection and self-exploration. With his signature style of enveloping melodies and emotive lyrics, Snow Patrol invites us to walk with them through a metaphorical forest of thoughts and emotions.
This new release, released on September 13 under Polydor Recordscaptures the essence of the band as it navigates familiar yet renewed terrain, learn the details behind the construction of this work and prepare for a return that not only celebrates the past, but also charts new paths in the band's musical universe.
The creative process behind The Forest Is The Path It's been a truly unique journey for the band. For the first time in their career, Gary Lightbody He began writing the lyrics before the music, a reversal of his usual method of composing the melody first.
“So, I wrote. I’d never done this before. This is our 30th year and I’d never done this before. I wrote a bunch of lyrics before we started writing the music, which is usually I write the music and then I write a melody and then some lyrics. But this time, I wrote a lot, a lot, like trying to figure out what this album was going to be about and write a lot of lyrics and ideas. And I knew I wanted it to be about time, like moments through time, throughout my life. And if you heard 'This is the Sound of Your Voice'is a very clear example of the idea, like little moments in time throughout a lifetime. And yes, I think that was perhaps what inspired the writing of the lyrics on the album.”
For the music we got together, Johnny and I, Johnny, Nathan and I, or Fraser and I, who wrote the second single, 'All', and we just do whatever, pick up an instrument and play it and figure it out as we go along. And that's the most exciting thing about writing music, that you start with a blank page and you try to fill it by pouring music on it. And we never had a plan. That's one of the reasons I love the title of the album, The Forest Is The Path“There is no plan, there is no path, he enjoys being lost in the woods,” Gary revealed.
The first single, “The Beginning”emerged from this experimentation and stood out for its live potential. Although they didn't focus on how the song would sound on the radio, they did think about how it would feel to play it in concert, and the result has been gratifying.
“It’s the first song we wrote. Johnny and I wrote it and we felt like it was an important song. I've said it before, but we don't think about singles that much when we're writing. I don't think about what's going to sound good on the radio, maybe I should think about that, but I don't. But I do think about what's going to sound good live, so, 'The Beginning' always sounded like it was going to be a great live song and a lot of fun to play. We've been doing some shows recently and we've played it and it's really fun to play, so we were right about that.”
After six years without releasing new music, Snow Patrol has proven that time can be an ally in the creation of an album. The band feels that the time was right to release The Forest Is The Pathand this album feels like the culmination of their artistic evolution. If they had done it earlier, it wouldn't have been the same.
“I think albums take as long as they need. You know, six years is a long time, but if we had put it out four years ago, it wouldn’t have been as good, five years ago it wouldn’t have been as good, six years ago it wouldn’t have been as good. But for me, Johnny and Nathan, this album feels ready and it never felt ready until now, so I think we’re at a stage in our career now where if we rush something, we’re going to regret it. It might feel like we’re taking a long time, but we’re doing it for the right reason, I think,” he added in the interview.
One of the most resonant songs on the album, “This is the Sound of Your Voice”captures not only the sound of the human voice, but also that of nature and home. The message is a celebration of all the sounds that connect us to our environment and our roots.
“I think it’s because it’s a song about a life, a whole life, but what keeps bringing me back to what I love is the sound, not just of someone’s voice, but the sound of the music I love, the sound of the wind outside in Northern Ireland, the sound of the sea and the seabirds right outside my window. The sound of the forest when I’m there. So “the sound of your voice” in the song is not necessarily the voice of a human being. But the sound of nature and home calling you back.”
Finally, the single “All” was intentionally placed at the beginning of the album as a kind of “lie,” challenging the listener’s expectations of truth and perception. This strategy serves to underscore the album’s theme, in which truth and perception are intertwined and the authenticity of personal experience takes center stage.
“We put it first for a reason, although I’m not sure what reason I was thinking of when I suggested it should go first. But I like to start the album with a lie because the whole album is true, but when you start with a lie, no one is quite sure what’s true and what’s not. I like the idea of ​​just turning things around so that what you feel is true is what’s important. Not what I tell you is true. People lie.”
“It’s all about what you feel is true, so this is not a love song. When a song like this, it’s very clear that it’s a love song, which I actually say halfway through the song, but then I guess the whole album has little moments where everything turns around,” Gary concluded.
The Forest Is The Path not only marks the return of Snow Patrolbut it is also a profound reflection on time, life and nature. With a renewed creative approach and a focus on authenticity and spontaneity, the band has created an album that invites you to explore your own personal journey. Remember that you can already listen to the complete material through Polydor Records.
