Scottish singer songwriter Nathan Evans has released his new folk-inspired single Heather On The Hill. The track follows the success of Evans’ 2020 hit Wellerman and his vast array of sea shanty covers.
Heather On The Hill opens with gorgeous strings which transport you to Ireland through their folk-inflected tones. Opening line of “Oh my love said to me, will you meet me by the sea? You can kiss me underneath the misty moon” draws us into the narrative and sets the scene for an upbeat love story. The percussion chimes in and we’re taken on a joyful ride from start to finish, the folk melody being infectious. Evans’ honey-toned vocal with his Scottish twang is full of warmth and possesses a sought-after uniqueness. His joyful vocal coupled with the banjo twangs and plucky strings dare you not to perform your own Irish jig and I think it’s a track that will see Evan’s fanbase swell even more.
Evans is bringing sea shanties to the masses and popularising a genre that the younger generation may never have otherwise explored or been exposed to. He has slowly been building shanty hype and this is evident from his 1.7 million followers on TikTok and 289k followers on Instagram. After posting his first sea shanty Leave Her Johnny to TikTok in 2020, he received requests from his TikTok followers to post more sea shanty videos. His cover of Wellerman in 2020 went viral and ended up peaking at the top of the UK single chart, skyrocketing Evans to prominence. With this new release, Evans’ name is sure to grow even more within the folk scene, and I hope he can continue to broaden people’s musical horizons.
Heather On The Hill is available to stream now. Find out more about Nathan Evans here and have a listen to Heather On The Hill below.