Damian Sage – “Union Town” possesses a cinematic sweep

March, 16^th sees the release of the brand new single “Union Town” by Los Angeles based singer-songwriter, Damian Sage. Damian is a thoughtful and compassionate writer, and he’s backed by the strong production. With all the lush organic classicism and narrative contentment, it would be easy for this track to become overly saccharine, but both the arrangement and the character-driven story possesses a cinematic sweep that’s far more dramatic than the music of any of Sage’s reference points.

One of the many strengths of single “Union Town” that Damian Sage brings to the table is that he is not trying to catch up with the trends of mainstream  radio, because otherwise that would be easy for a songwriter of his caliber. Instead, Damian takes the legendary singer-songwriters’ route, casting his narrative on what makes his brand of music so significant, and that is the simplicity of focusing on the smaller, personal things in life, that affects the everyday man.

This is where Damian Sage really excels at honing in on the atmosphere and mood he’s trying to capture, with the instrumental giving him breathing room to deliver the celebratory testimony he completes: “This union town’s got lots of heroes. Not every hero wears a cape. Women and men like you and me know. This union town was built on strength.” As is evident, Damian is capable of writing memorable lyrics while sympathizing with the characters he creates.

This record is a passion project that shows a lot of Damian Sage’s love for writing about hope, optimism, and empowerment in the face of struggle and affliction. If Damian’s goal was to go back to the cinematic story-telling of his enigmatic peers in a previously glorious singer-songwriter era, while combining his own personal creative twist, he achieves it to perfection on “Union Town”.

Damian has honed in on honoring the collective strength of workforces, with a super-fussed-over production approach that bears all the authenticity of a modern singer-songwriter – but also with much of the emotional precision and rock grandeur that’s maintained his momentum throughout his releases.  Sage sings in battle-ready rasp as the feeling of empowerment is given plentiful backup in the song’s overall sound, which moves from thoughtful introspection to toward bold, hummable progressions.

These sonic elements are beautifully inspiring in a directly audible manner, but they’re juxtaposed with a subtly fine thread of concern running throughout the narrative. As a songwriter Damian Sage has mastered the art of imagining the lives of others, of singing in the first person about experiences which may be removed from his own.

This is what makes him a captivating artist. Moreover, Damian’s voice in particular adds the necessary nuances to the musical arrangement, highlighting the weight of the message it carries. As a social statement, and a work of modern Americana and Alternative rock, “Union Town” is superlative.

The track came into being when Damian Sage was approached by the writer of an upcoming TV series – to be called “Union Town” – to write a song based on the premise, and submit it for consideration as the show’s theme song. Damian immediately went to work, pulling up on his influences from Bruce Springsteen’s “My Hometown”, and John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero. The result being that Damian’s song has been chosen as the official theme song for the show, and that the artist will actually appear in an episode too.

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