Ryan Wayne unveils new single, “Lion in the Wall”
Accomplished Americana/roots-rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Wayne releases “LION IN THE WALL,” the fifth single off of Wayne’s upcoming album Functioning Dysfunctionals set for release on May 9, 2025. Following on the heels of his widely acclaimed debut album Crow Amongst The Sparrows, the new single will be out on April 4th on all major platforms.
A spiritual heir to the album Tonight’s the Night – where Neil Young played a series of drunken send-offs to both a band member and a roadie who succumbed to heroin overdoses – “Lion in the Wall” is a multi-generational tale of addiction, failure, and the fragile redemption found in the compassion and understanding of a dying father.
To the slow, arching, intoxicated sway of swirling production, three-part harmonies, sonically treated guitars, and a tender-hearted fiddle, Wayne explores the universal weight of struggle and the quiet grace of acceptance, as both the dad on his deathbed, and the son with his habit, are lost in a morphine haze.
“At its core, this is a song of reckoning,” says Wayne. “Where love and regret walk hand in hand, and understanding comes too late, but never too little… The track is masterfully mixed and given additional production by the immensely talented Annelise Norohna.”