About

The music of Davis John Patton often resembles the feeling of discovering, dusting off, and opening up an old photo album. You’ll invariably experience a rush of memories only to be inspired to keep living and making more.

He takes all of those emotions and commutes them into handcrafted, yet layered and textured folk. As much as you’ll watch his story unfold, Davis is really here to help you tell your story. After amassing millions of streams and receiving acclaim from American Songwriter, Atwood Magazine, Paste Magazine, and more, the Iowa-born singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer encourages you to not just think, but to also feel out loud on his 2021 EP, Songs From Davis [Nettwerk].

“In the past year, I started to write about existence and what life and death mean to me,” he says. “I’m asking some big questions in a personal way. Sonically, it combines the enjoyment of making music in my bedroom when I was younger with some of the expertise I’ve picked up over the past couple of years.”

As a college student, Davis introduced himself on the 2018 independent EP, Forest Park. Its lead single “Motives” eventually amassed over 1.4 million Spotify streams and counting, and another standout “A Tale of Rescue” generated north of 587K Spotify streams. Gaining traction, he landed a deal with Nettwerk Music Group. Working with producer Tyler Johnson, he unveiled From The Garden in 2020. American Songwriter praised the single “Safety” as “a thoughtful meditation,” and Atwood Magazine singled out “the power and promise of Patton’s breathtaking artistry.” He remained prolific with the follow-up EP, Poetry, and singles such as “Somewhere In My Memory” and “Anyone.”

As the world quieted due to the Global Pandemic, he found himself engrossed in reflection. A trip to his folks’ place galvanized his writing process.

“My parents were selling the house I grew up in,” he recalls. “It had been 20 years, so there was a lot of emotion. One literal artifact of inspiration triggered my creativity. I was scrolling through old photos and looking at prints from the pharmacy back in the day. There was this artsy picture of me jumping in a pile of leaves from the year 2000. My first thought was, ‘That’d be a cool album cover’. All of the ideas I’d been writing about existence suddenly made sense.”

He didn’t put Songs From Davis together alone. An old friend from high school choir Patrick Cunningham co-produced the EP with Davis, while Chris Bethea mixed it. “I was going back to the indie folk roots I started with,” he says. “That was my direction. Patrick brought the largeness to the songs and added a lot of scale. My default is always a simple and stripped-back arrangement. His default is always ‘play around as much as you can’. We tried to find the middle ground and balance out the EP with soft and big moments.”

The first single “Eason” embodies this balance. A delicate drumbeat brushes up against piano, synth, and lithe strings as acoustic guitar and vocals ring out. It builds towards a captivating chorus earmarked by lyrical eloquence.

“It was definitely based on that picture of me as a kid,” he smiles. “Eason is the name of the elementary school I went to. It’s ironically where I met Patrick. I tried to write about being young with really vivid imagery of the elementary school, the playground, and the path I walked each day. It developed into a reflection of what it was like to be a kid when you’re dying to grow up. When you become an adult, you realize it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be.”

In the end, Songs From Davis tackles some big questions, but it also allows everyone to get a little closer to Davis.

“These songs are more from my heart than anything else I’ve ever done,” he leaves off. “I hope these existential ponderings help people ask the same questions I’ve been asking and maybe wonder a little bit. In the grand scheme of things, I feel like I’m just one leaf on the tree. I’m trying to play this role to the best of my ability.”

- Rick Florino / Nettwerk Music

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