Having recently launched with Modern Woman's brilliant 'Offerings', End of The Road Festival's newly-established record label have facilitated another excellent release. 'John' by The Golden Dregs (aka Cornish songwriter Benjamin Woods) has a timelessness about it. Recalling somber nuances of 1967's 'San Francisco' (written by John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas and sung by Scott McKenzie) lo-fi synth parts are fleshed out by spindly guitar parts and tastefully applied backing vocals as softly-played acoustic drums gently keep time. Woods' semi-rambling vocals, however, steal the show; evoking sadness in the most comforting way possible. He explains: “I was very unhappy. I wrote the verses to “John” in the shower. I was humming the melody and thinking about the past and then I knew what the song was about. I often use songwriting to process experiences and emotions that I otherwise would struggle to articulate, or would shy away from talking about publicly. Sometimes the process is cathartic, but it can backfire and I get stuck reliving an unsavoury memory every time we perform a song live”. Take a glimpse at the lyric video here now. -Holly Mullineaux