Natalie McCool – shares the new single  ‘So Lonely, Lonely’ which features Renee Stormz.

Natalie McCool has been striding towards the September 9th release of her new album ‘Good For The Soul’ with unrestrained positivity. First she shared the exhilarating, find-yourself euphoria of ‘Coming Of Age’ (with Trans Voices) and then she unveiled the rallying cry of ‘We’re The Ones’, a message to never let the struggles of adulthood negate the optimism of youth. Those songs have inspired a wave of attention, including The Line of Best Fit and Notion. Now she introduces the darker side of the record with the new single ‘So Lonely, Lonely’, which features Renee Stormz.
 
With ‘So Lonely, Lonely’, Natalie steps into edgy, subversive pop propelled by juddering beats and sonic boom waves of distortion. Her voice switches from airy to almighty as it is wrapped by gleaming, potent backing vocals, carrying lyrics which make a plea for in-person human connection at a time when technology and social media is a dominant force which provides instant communication at the cost of a palpable community spirit. Her free-flowing vocals are given an antidote via Renee Stormz’s hard-hitting bars, themselves underpinned by a sparse, hard-edged breakdown.
 
Natalie says, “I wish people would look up from their phones more. People walking down the street, heads down, headphones on, disconnected from what’s happening around them – watching gigs through their phone cameras. I want to live in a world where people chat to each other. Where you know your neighbours. Where you have a local bar, cafe, pub, and you’re known there! Community is so special and so important, and so fragile.”

Natalie had written the song with space for a guest artist, but finding the person with the right voice and delivery proved to be elusive until she stumbled on Manchester rapper and producer Renee Stormz. Renee loved the track and sent her verse over the very next day. As Natalie recalls, “It was insanely good, it was perfect.”
 
‘So Lonely, Lonely’ was written by Natalie McCool and Renee Stormz, with Natalie co-producing alongside its third co-writer, Paul Frith (Radiohead, The xx). It also features additional production and mixing from Andy Hall Hall (Bastille, Griff), plus drums from Paul Crilly (The Mysterines) and backing vocals from IONE (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Foals).
 
The track provides a fresh window into what to expect from the ‘Good For The Soul’ album. Its genre-bending style breaks across a spectrum of moods and is rooted in the alt-pop universe, centred by a recurring motif of self-discovery and learning: the positives, but the challenges too. Its radically heightened ambition is inspired by an unforgettable career high: performing and co-curating ‘Welcome To Eurotopia’ in front of 14,000 people as part of Liverpool’s Eurovision Cultural Festival. The show featured collaborators such as Stealing Sheep, The Lathums, OMD’s Andy McCluskey, a ten-piece all-female band featuring artists from Ukraine, and strings from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.
 
‘Good For The Soul’ is available to pre-order from Bandcamp. It is available on transparent effect purple and turquoise colour-mix vinyl as well as CD, while an album bundle also features a new t-shirt design. All orders include a free badge and a branded guitar pick, while merch items include a tote bag and very limited edition coasters cut from the vinyl label.

Press Photo by Robin Clewley