Interview:

Being a dedicated rationalist and atheist, the word “spiritual” has only an abstract meaning to me. It seems to be something that is used to describe unsubstantiated dogmas and fleeting concepts, so I couldn’t assign “spiritual” to anything that exists for me. However, having been posed this question has provoked thought on what the power of music is. It’s obviously very strong or else it wouldn’t have the profound effect on my life that it has. It has been at the heart of everything I do. Music has opened up amazing new experiences and adventures, but it has also held me back from many things such as a “proper” job and a level of financial security comparable to most people my age. It could be argued that I could have chosen to do something else, but that’s just the thing – I couldn’t. Ever since I first picked up a guitar everything else has just been a sideline.

My best hypothesis at this stage is that music could facilitate access to a more primal state of being, with rhythmic and melodic patterns inducing certain emotional states. Perhaps it helps connect us with more fundamental cycles of life, such as we experienced at an earlier stage of human evolution, which surfaces feelings of comfort and togetherness as well as excitement and life force.

“Music could facilitate access to a more primal state of being, with rhythmic and melodic patterns inducing certain emotional states.”
– Dylan Storey, singer-songwriter