New Paltz, New York-based alt-folk singer-songwriter Ryan Liberty Megan introduces his brand-new single, “Nevermind,” a song conjuring up suggestions of Leonhard Cohen covering Bob Dylan.
Talking about his music, Ryan says, “I’ve tried to give it up, but my health suffers. So whether I want to do it or I don’t doesn’t matter. I have to do it.”
He goes on, “You can hear in my music, I mix things in a binaural way that helps me relax. The way things are panned or bounced around in a three-dimensional space, that helps me meditate and relax.”
The son of a feminist lesbian and a conservative cop and Vietnam veteran, after his parents separated, Ryan grew up going back and forth like a tennis ball between his parent’s homes. While at his mother’s house, he discovered his gift for songwriting, writing his first song when he was five years old.
As a teenager, he dropped acid and “watched Pink Floyd‘s Live at Pompeii on acid and bought a guitar the next day.” Later, he studied music in college, followed by a nomadic life made up of a series of odd jobs while playing in noise bands. Ultimately, he found himself in a band called ORYAN, which was poised for national success.
Confronted by a cusp of transition, Ryan made a decision: he gave up music to take care of his son. After denying himself for more than a decade, he returned to music.
At the end of 2020, Ryan began writing songs as gifts for people, followed by writing one song every day. In 2022, he released “Xmas Along,” followed by “Chorus.” Ryan’s forthcoming album, El Songo, explores introspective themes.
“Nevermind” opens on an alt-country-flavored guitar rolling into a deliciously swaying rhythm topped by visceral, almost shoegaze-like layers of harmonics. Ryan’s deep tenor imbues the lyrics with poignant textures, giving the tune an authentic, intimate vulnerability.
A lysergic guitar solo infuses the song with lusciously affecting grimy surfaces, followed by segueing into an impressive, alluring outro.
At once simple, raw, and moving, with “Nevermind,” Ryan Liberty Megan offers listeners an excellent, evocative sonic composition.
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