The Many Ways, the debut single from John Arter & The Eastern Kings, arrives April 24 with a thunderclap — a country-rock anthem brimming with raw honesty, melodic grit, and defiant hope. It’s the first taste of their upcoming album Not Just a Story, and a bold introduction to one of the UK’s most compelling new Americana voices.
With its intimate acoustic opening and swelling electric crescendo, “The Many Ways” charts a journey through personal reckoning and perseverance. Arter’s gravel-worn vocals — reminiscent of Jason Isbell or Ray LaMontagne — are carried by duelling harmonies, atmospheric textures, and a rising tide of rhythm that meets a driving climax and culminates in a cathartic finale.
“I wanted it to feel like a drive through a storm, some sort of apocalyptic disaster behind you, the mantra you’d say to yourself as you tried to find a way through it,” says Arter. “It’s about keeping your feet on the ground when the road disappears beneath you — and finding that someone’s still there when the haze clears.”
The track blends neofolk’s emotional weight with the driving soul of Americana rock, layered with subtle production details (including vintage radio static and analogue textures) that nod to the band’s love of both traditional and cinematic soundscapes.
“The Many Ways” is the first chapter in Not Just a Story, a record built on vivid storytelling, bighearted arrangements, and the scars we carry through the years. The album features standout tracks like “Shutaway,” “The Fall,” and “Antler Velvet,” and showcases the Eastern Kings’ ability to shift from intimate balladry to full-band fire without losing emotional truth.
