Kevin Sullivan, also known as Field Medic, released his fifth studio album grow your hair long if you’re wanting to see something that you can change under Run for Cover Records on October 14, 2022; the album is incredibly relatable, touching on themes of loneliness, depression, and self-depreciation all while still bringing in classic indie-folk sounds. Sullivan started making music in 2009 with his older brother before going off in 2013 to create his own, independent music. Even though he gravitates towards more acoustic notes, Sullivan still sings about issues close to his heart, creating an emotional experience in his new album.
grow your hair long if you’re wanting to see something that you can change opens with “always emptiness”, a title that describes perfectly the feelings Sullivan is trying to tell. It’s immediately understandable as he sings about feeling hopeless about his life, specifically how, no matter what he does, his days are just “always emptiness.” The next track, “weekends”, brings in a simple, acoustic guitar to accompany lyrics touching on the intrinsic sadness weekends bring. “Weekends are the hardest part/ Always feel like I’ve gotta see someone/ But what if I ain’t got no one to see?/ What if ain’t no one wanna see me.”
“i had a dream that you died” is the most produced track on the album; the third song out of nine, it’s a piece amped with a steady synth beat and a message of only caring about yourself in situations relating to others. The album shifts after, the fourth song “noonday sun” coming in with harmonica and banjo notes into a classic folk song, but still being self-analytical and melancholic. “I wish this circumstance was holy/ They said Jesus suffered by his lonely/ But I know I’m not him/ I know I’m not him.”
In possibly the only uplifting song on the album, the sixth track, “house arrest”, deals with facing the end of something, but trying to find ways to appreciate life for what it is. The chorus features the album’s title: “But one day there will come a morning/ When you wake up from this bad dream/ Grow your hair long if you’re wanting/ To see something that you can change/ Grow your hair long in mourning.” Sullivan brings back his message from the first song, the idea that no matter what you do in your life it will never be enough, but now, he proposes a solution (growing your hair) to snap out of each day’s sad monotony.
The album closes with “i had my fun/ back to the start”, a sorrowful track on what it means to be depressed, paired with the same soft guitar strums and indie beats, eventually wrapping up the collection with an orchestral finale. grow your hair long if you’re wanting to see something that you can change is yet another impressive Field Medic collection of his brand of folk music, and still, Sullivan is able to elevate it to another level, singing about the dark feelings we all go through, and reminding us that sometimes a change is worth trying.
Field Medic is going on tour in North America starting at the end of October to share his new music.
Field Medic 2022 NORTH AMERICA TOUR
10/22 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom Of The Hill
10/25 – Portland, OR – Polaris Hill
10/26 – Seattle, WA – Barboza
10/28 – Salt Lake City, UT – Beehive
10/30 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall
11/1 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
11/2 – Chicago, IL – Beat Kitchen
11/3 – Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups
11/4 – Ferndale, MI – The Loving Touch
11/5 – Lakewood, OH – Mahall’s
11/6 – Toronto, ON – The Garrison
11/8 – Philadelphia, PA – PhilaMOCA
11/9 – Boston, MA – Red Room at Cafe 939
11/10 – Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right
11/11 – Washington, DC – Songbyrd
11/12 – Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House
11/14 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
11/15 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade – Purgatory
11/16 – Nashville, TN – The End
11/18 – Dallas, TX – Ruins
11/19 – Austin, TX – Empire Control Room
11/22 – Phoenix, AZ – The Rebel Lounge
11/26 – Los Angeles, CA – Moroccan Lounge
11/27 – Los Angeles, CA – Moroccan Lounge