With each new release, Trinidadian artist BERWYN turns more heads. His last two mixtapes, 2020's DEMOTAPE/VEGA and TAPE 2/FOMALHAUT, prompted praise from a wide array of high places. He landed on Apple Music Up Next (UK) and Spotify RADAR: First Listen, as well as finishing in the top three of BBC's "Sound Of" Poll. He also got himself on the shortlist for a Mercury Price, and won the NME Award for Best New Act.
All these awards could make a lesser artist get in his head, but with "Path To Satisfaction," BERWYN proves that he can still chef up a laid-back jam with ease.
The new single comes after the artist was able to travel back to his homeland of Trinidad. Due to visa issues, the "WRONG ONES" singer had been unable to return to the island nation since he was nine years old. According to BERWYN, the trip marked a refreshing shift in perspective, as he spent time with his dad and his grandparents for the first time in years.
BERWYN documented moments from the trip in the music video for "Path To Satisfaction," more clearly drawing the line between the subject matter of the track and the visit. But this return to roots is evident in the song with or without the video, as BERWYN sings over a grooving instrumental about the sacrifices he's ready to make to achieve contentment. "But if I should die on my path to satisfaction / And I fall from the sky and I end up crashing / Just say a little prayer for me," he sings.
Paired with the video, the sentiment is bittersweet. With BERWYN's newfound success, he seems closer to satisfaction than ever. But it hasn't come without a cost.
Quotable lyrics
Tell 'em how I tried and then I died and then I vanished
Tell 'em how I come up from the mud, but still, I managed
If this song goes double platinum, but the driver ends up crashing
Tell 'em how I always made it happen
