SONGS YOU SHOULD HEAR – MICHAEL MCFARLAND – “THE NEW CONTAGION”
BAND: MICHAEL MCFARLAND
SONG: “The New Contagion”
SOUNDS LIKE: Panic! At The Disco, Switchfoot
ABOUT THE TRACK: Cleveland based singer-songwriter Michael McFarland has released a hopeful new single ‘The New Contagion’ from his upcoming album Through This Fire, due out October 23rd. For McFarland, the track is all about hope. “The simplest answer is that it’s about hope; about finding the silver lining of the darkest clouds.” says McFarland.
‘The New Contagion’ was written in one feverish night during quarantine. “In the early weeks of the lockdown, I found myself searching for an outlet for all the nervous energy I’d usually be able to diffuse on stage;” explains McFarland, “I wrote dozens of songs, spending late nights in my studio, experimenting with different sounds and arrangements… but most pertinently, I joined a Virtual Cleveland Songwriter’s Challenge group. We all suggested ideas for songwriting prompts, and then each week one prompt was chosen and we’d all write to that challenge. The very first prompt was ‘Songs About Hope”, and within minutes I had the chorus written for ’The New Contagion’. I didn’t come up for air until the next morning, at which point the full arrangement was complete; the only parts that I re-tracked for the final release were lead vocals and drums.”