VIDEO: Bren Holmes Teams Up With Musician/Filmmaker Paul Crowder for 'Can't Stop Thinkin''

"Can't Stop Thinkin'" is a charming tucked-away tune that Ireland-born/Los Angeles residing singer/songwriter Bren Holmes shares on his solo debut acoustic album, Everything You Never Wanted.

Laced in self-reflection, the hooky tune, "Can't Stop Thinkin'" is now available with a video directed by British-born musician/filmmaker Paul Crowder (member of the classic power pop band The Automatics, editor The Beatles: Eight Days a Week and director Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who).

"Paul Crowder and I have been friends for over 25 years. We were both playing in bands in the LA music scene when we first met, and we also played in the same band for a short stint," recalls Holmes who was once the bassist for Irish/American upstarts The Young Dubliners.

"Paul is one of my favorite drummers and he's a blast to see perform live," continues Holmes. "He had hired me both as an actor/voice-over performer in various projects he had done over the years. I absolutely love his editing style so it only seemed natural for me to ask him to direct one of my videos...he's a busy man being one of the top documentary editors/directors out there. We were originally going to shoot this acoustic version on an iPhone, but then we decided that it would be best if we used all my pro photography gear for a better look."

Last year, the Irish-born/Los Angeles resident released his long-awaited debut, Everything You Never Wanted. A few months after the celebrated release, Holmes released a full acoustic version of that same album on March 29, 2022 via Bren Holmes Productions titled Everything You Never Wanted Acoustic. This acoustic version peels away the studio gloss to present the music in a stripped-down and intimate light.

Loved by old fans and new admirers, the plugged-in version of the album was a critical favorite, garnering plaudits from many rivulets of the media. Americana Highways cheered "it's a winner," while Americana UK proclaimed "the future is looking bright for Bren Holmes."

"I've been playing acoustic versions of these songs for some time now. I have a strong connection to them, so it only seemed natural to record the acoustic versions that people have been hearing," the Los Angeles-by-way-of-Dublin musician confides, holding these ten tracks close to his chest.

Thus in lieu of proceeding on to his next project with a whole new slate of songs, Holmes held on a little longer to his debut's ten tracks and pared them down to their organic and acoustic roots. Stripped down and accompanied only by his Everything You Never Wanted co-producer Bryan Dobbs on mandolin, Everything...Acoustic echoes the former version with a cozy and warm breath, hearty in emotion and rife with storytelling charm.

With Everything...Acoustic, Holmes and Dobbs masterfully paired the ten tunes with creative arrangements that encompassed Americana's many sides: rootsy pop to twangy blues; gritty rock 'n' to Celtic sing-a-longs. These new spare-and-stirring renditions provide an impressive showcase for Holmes' singing and songwriting. Holmes' charming vocals - warm, friendly, and a bit world-weary - wonderfully express the sharply-observed details of Holmes' spirited story-songs. "While I love how these songs sound with a whole band," Bren shares, "there is also something exciting and intimate performing them with just my guitar and Bryan's mandolin."

In addition to releasing the video, Holmes will be playing Los Angeles' Flying Embers on Wednesday, May 25th. Tickets can be purchased here.

Watch the new music video here:

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