Ian Roland - Craving

​Ian Roland

Craving
self-released; 2025

By Dan Weston

Ian Roland’s "Craving" drifts between nostalgia and unease, tracing childhood memories through a haze of acoustic warmth. The song revisits Roland’s early years in South London, where his older sisters led him through the damp paths of Crystal Palace Park to marvel at its towering model dinosaurs. The experience was both mesmerizing and unsettling—prehistoric creatures emerging through the mist, caught somewhere between fantasy and relic. That tension between wonder and melancholy runs through "Craving", a song that feels like flipping through an old photo album, unsure whether to smile or sigh.  

Roland is joined by a strong ensemble: bassist Dave Coomber, drummer James Chapman, pianist Mishkin Fitzgerald (who also adds keys and vocals), and Simon Yapp on violin and viola. The arrangement is rich but never overwhelming. The acoustic guitar is warm and steady, the bass smooth and grounding, the drums carrying just enough weight to propel the song forward. Roland’s voice carries a quiet ache, and from the first verse, the song pulls you into a dreamlike recollection, like a memory half-glimpsed through rain-streaked windows.  

Then comes the shift. The chorus swells, reaching for something bigger, almost Bowie-esque in its drama. The second chorus builds even more, sweeping the song to a higher plane. But it’s the last minute that leaves the biggest impression—a quiet, weightless moment that feels like waking up just as a dream slips away.  

Rather than relying on grand gestures, "Craving" works in subtleties, shaping its emotional core through texture and restraint. It’s a song that doesn’t just recall the past but makes you feel its presence, as if those old memories are still alive somewhere, waiting to be rediscovered.

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