STORY /Ā ANGIE PICCIRILLO
PHOTOS /Ā RAHMI HALABYĀ Ā
I hate to label artists āOne to watch,ā but I suppose thatās why people read the things I write, and Iām here to write that Ryan Pulfordās newest jam, āBetter Off Alone,ā is a tune you need to put into your ears right away.
Ryan is in his last year at Gettysburg college, but heās been working on jams and writing for the past six years with electro-rock trio, A R I Z O N A ā and if you know any of their songs from their full length LP, Gallery, youāll know they can bring the hits.
Ryan brings us a more danceable track than his past releases, this time with more vulnerable vocals and truthbomb-typa lyrics. āBetter Off Aloneā is the type of track that maybe an artist like John Mayer would have released acoustically and someone really dope like Dillon Francis would have remixed it ā only Ryan manages to handle both sides by himself. Easy to see that Ryan has the guitar and vocal chops to write a dope track, but also the production chops to make it current and most importantly, fun.
If this track were a cocktail, itād be the sweet martini that goes down so smooth that you inevitably will drink too many and end up in the middle of Hollywood boulevard with mascara running down your faceā¦ or maybe thatās just me, but also, Iāll have another please, Ryan.
What inspired āBetter Off Aloneā? Is about someone specific?
I wrote ‘Better Off Alone’ last summer towards the end of a rocky relationship. On good days there was a crazy spark between us that I find difficult to even describe .. but as things ran their course we found ourselves fighting almost more often than not. At the end of the day we were at different stages of our lives and it wasnāt worth trying to pretend we were on the same page anymore. After a while we kind of just reached the point where it just wasnāt worth trying anymore. Whatever it is that gets you to that point, this song is about realizing youāre there.
How would you describe your sound to someone who hasnāt heard you before?
Lyrically, pop. Thatās the heart of my music. I tend to let the lyrics and melodies dictate where I take things from a production standpoint. But most of the time things lean toward an electronic/dance vibe.. probably because Iām surrounded by it here at Gettysburg College.
Youāve written songs for other artists, what have some of your favorites been and why?
Any writing I do with A R I Z O N A is always a blast. Iāve been working with those guys for about six years now, Zach specifically became my mentor back when I was in high school. He and Dave are from the same town as me (shout out Glen Rock) so any time we write together itās always great vibes.
What is your instrument of choice to play on stage? What instrument do you prefer to write with?
My instrument of choice on stage is definitely guitar … mostly ācause I like to move around a lot. And when it comes to writing itās piano all day for me. Thereās a building at school called Schmucker that has individual piano rooms that I tend to lock myself in on a daily basis.
If you could collab with any other artist alive or dead, who would you pick and why?
Gotta go with John Mayer. He was one of my biggest influences that got me into music. Working with him would be a dream come true.
If you were to pick someone to go on tour with, who would it be and why?
Ā The A R I Z O N A guys are the homies so naturally touring with them would be pretty wild. But besides them Jon Bellion was also another big influence that got me into pursuing music as more than a hobby. I feel like I could learn a lot from him as a performer.
You have a few other singles out already āĀ what are your plans next? An EP? Another single?
Ā Once I graduate in May Iāll get right back on the music grind. The goal is to stick to singles for the time being. When Iām not doing music Iām pursuing a economics degree. After this release Iāve got about two weeks left before graduating so I intend to put most of my efforts toward a strong finish there (hope youāre reading this dad!).
CONNECT WITH RYAN:
INSTAGRAM Ā // Ā FACEBOOK Ā // Ā TWITTER