Track of the Day: Ezra Williams - 'Deep Routed'

Ezra Williams has shared a new single via AWAL today, titled ‘Deep Routed’, alongside the news of a Workman's show in Dublin on March 25th.

"Something's stopping me / Something shutting my mouth / Every time you say things first / I say them backward, it doesn't count / Deep routed, but I don't remember why / your hand on my lap made me shake and on the train home I cried," the beautiful, down-tempo song starts alongside a simple but effective guitar riff.

‘Deep Routed’ examines the struggle to shake loose the weight of figures from the past in order to commit completely to somebody new. The track showcases Ezra’s softly affecting vocals, intricate instrumentation and flair for poignant, relatable songwriting. "I like your skin, just not on mine / If I can't let you in am I wasting both our time?"

With loneliness, fear and trauma at the core, 'Deep Routed' is about trying to move away from past pain and difficult memories to create positive touch and intimacy.

Ezra's new music explores a fuller live band sound, steadily gathering pace and building to an emotional peak that will undoubtedly flourish in an in-person setting.

Offering a brief glimpse of the song’s inspiration while leaving space for the listener to make it their own, Ezra says: “I wrote this about trying to deal with things from past relationships while also trying to give your all to someone new.”

Major influences include Fiona Apple, Soccer Mommy and Indigo De Souza, but comparisons are redundant for an artist as distinctive as Ezra. So far, they have independently released two EPs and a number of singles, offering heartfelt takes on everything from gender identity to neurodiversity and formative teenage relationships.

Ezra’s 2018 debut single, ‘Thinking of You’ came about by accident while experimenting on GarageBand for the first time.

“I played it for my mum, and she wanted to know how to listen to it,” Ezra says, “and so I put it on SoundCloud. It kind of picked up from there, so I just kept releasing things.”

Their impressive career progression has been similarly organic, with thousands of global listeners and tens of millions of streams amassing steadily via word of mouth, and a feature in the Netflix drama Heartstopper creating a viral moment.

Williams has supported Orville Peck, Jungle and Pillow Queens, and will play in Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition 2023. Stay tuned for details of new music, due to be announced imminently.

Revisit our 2021 chat with the Stuck EP artist here.

Check out the Jude Mack-starring video for 'Deep Routed' below.

Ezra Williams will play the below live dates in 2023:

25 March - Workman's, Dublin
5 April - The Social, London
April - Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition