"Dead Hand Control is a song about anxiety and the limits of control. I was thinking a lot about how, as a musician, I have control over what a recording is, but that once I put a song out into the world, I no longer control its life. That's essentially what the chorus line is saying - "Dead Hand Control / You can take my life but you will never take my soul" - you can do whatever you want to me, but the things I’ve made will (hopefully in some way) outlast me. I’d like to give a special shoutout to Jazz Ambassador Robby Sinclair for his absolutely heroic improvised drumming on the back half of the song. I filmed the video on my phone at home during Los Angeles’ second stay-at-home order."
The title track is a song of two styles, beginning with soothing acoustic guitar before switching to an upbeat funky vibe. Taking about Take It From Me, which has a more raw, DIY aesthetic to it, he added:
"Take It From Me is an attempt at writing my version of a children's song or a standard. Like many songs on 'Dead Hand Control', it is about being there for the people in your life to the fullest extent you can. It’s a song based around a very simple idea: you can take whatever you want in the world, so long as you take it from me."
The follow-up to 2017's 'Man Of The World' is due January 29 via Glassnote Records.
