Today Los Angeles-based artist Isaac Watters has released “All I Need.” Showcasing a stunning widescreen rumination on loneliness that pairs Watters’ signature pensiveness with gorgeous shimmering guitar sonics. “This is all I need / A cup of coffee on a mountain top / A cabin tucked into a cleft of rock / An empty notebook and a stone flowing ink,” sings Watters atop of a steady-paced groove and drum section, perfect to soundtrack a dusty desert montage. Subtly soaring galactic synths recall the scene that Watters took in at a cabin in the desert just outside Joshua Tree, CA, where a panoramic vision of the vast desert landscape inspired a prolonged look up to the stars. “I began to imagine being in outer space, floating away from the surface of our planet, and towards the farthest reaches of the universe,” says Watters. “It felt like a metaphor for the internal loneliness we all share, the farther we go inside ourselves mirrored only by the great expanse outside of us.”

It also got him thinking about Michael Collins, the astronaut that went around the dark side of the moon during the moon landing while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were down on the surface. “I am still here up on the mountain / Been tryin’ for years to come down / See the dust kick up in the distance / I hope that it’s you coming round,” wails Watters as the resonance in his voice underscores the isolation and wanting of that human connection. There’s a through line between self and surroundings throughout Watters’ music, a constant conversation between the landscape, the forces that shape it, and the inhabitants who call it home. “All I Need” finds Watters considering his own place in the universe and the perpetual perseverance of loneliness in an ever-changing world. Watters also found a partnership in the label and producer/engineer Matt Linesch, whose analog-first approach to recording and production perfectly encapsulates and supports the warmth of Watters’ artistic vision and songwriting approach.

The music video was directed by Aaron Eisenberg of Sound + Video Co. and filmed in Pipes Canyon in Yucca Valley, CA. Avid cinephiles and fans of the 1984 film Paris, Texas may recognize a nod to Harry Dean Stanton’s character in Watters’ attire, performance, and march through the desert. The relationship between sight and sound has always shown itself in Watters’ work. Trained as an architect, Watters began his career working for legendary Frank Gehry and recently contributed his expertise as a set designer on the films Don’t Worry Darling, Boston Strangler, and many others.

Watters will be performing in Los Angeles at Club Tee Gee on April 24th and May 22nd.

Photo Courtesy: Robbie Jeffers