Anthony D'Amato Navigates Heartbreak in 'Ships in the Night'

Accomplished singer-songwriter Anthony D'Amato yearns for a love that will turn the tides in his aching new story-song "Ships in the Night," which is premiering exclusively today (Aug. 17) at The Boot.

"'Ships in the Night' is a song about longing and desire," D'Amato tells The Boot. "I imagined a narrator so filled with loneliness that his nightly tears flood the streets until he and all his neighbors float away, sailing off towards the horizon in search of some long lost love. Perhaps he's a widower, perhaps he broke someone's heart in his younger years, perhaps he made some mistake he's still trying to atone for. After writing so personally on my first two albums, it was a real joy to step outside of myself on this record and create whole fantastical worlds for characters like this to inhabit and explore."

The track's accompanying lyric video features charming illustrations that echo the song's wistful, lovelorn sentiment.

"I recorded this album out in Utah and spent a bunch of time out in Colorado over the past few years, and I think that really influenced the sound of the music. When it came time to make a lyric video, I immediately thought of Matthew Stroka, who's art under the Strange Frontier name captures a kind of mystical, dreamlike version of the West that's both beautiful and lonesome all at once."

Watch the official lyric video for "Ships in the Night" below:

Out this Friday (Aug. 19), "Ships in the Night" serves as the engaging first single from At First There Was Nothing, which marks D'Amato's third studio album and first full-length release in six years. Ready for a change of scenery, the longtime New York City resident travelled to American Fork, Utah for a series of recording sessions with acclaimed songwriter and producer Joshua James.

"I've been a fan of Joshua James since I was in high school, when I roadtripped down to North Carolina to see him perform for the first time," D'Amato explains. "A few years ago, we got paired up for some shows in Sweden, and that's when I found out he'd built his own studio out in Utah. I love to kind of reinvent myself on every record, so the idea of going out to Utah and working with Joshua as the producer and using all of his local guys as my band was really exciting to me."

Blue Rose Music

Their time in the studio resulted in what looks to be D'Amato's most evolved and reflective project to date, which builds off the honest lyricism found at the core of his 2014 debut The Shipwreck from the Shore and his 2016 follow-up LP Cold Snap. The New Jersey native takes his biggest leap forward sonically, sourcing creative inspiration from a range of influences, from classic 1960s soul to rollicking, roots-driven rock and roll from the 1970s.

Along with his solo work, D'Amato also serves as one fourth of the NYC-based supergroup Fantastic Cat, alongside fellow singer-songwriters Don DiLego, Brian Dunne, and Mike Montali. The band, who just released their first record The Very Best of Fantastic Cat on July 28, made their national television debut this past weekend (Aug. 13) on CBS Saturday Morning, which you can watch here.

At First There Was Nothing is available for pre-order now. You can find out more about Anthony D'Amato by visiting his official website or by following him on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

8 Songs You Didn't Know Brett Eldredge Wrote

Illinois native Brett Eldredge first burst onto the country scene with the release of his 2013 debut record Bring You Back. The album spawned three No. 1 hits, "Don't Ya," "Beat of the Music" and "Mean to Me," and kicked off a career that's lasted nearly a decade.

Eldredge kept the momentum going with the release of his 2015 album Illinois, which included the infectious singles "Lose My Mind," "Drunk on Your Love" and the romantic ode "Wanna Be That Song." Just two years later, his impressive self-titled record showcased a more evolved sound, which was spotlighted on singles "Somethin' I'm Good At," "The Long Way" and "Love Someone."

Although Eldredge's career was continuing to flourish, the 36-year-old wanted a change of pace. He stepped away from all social media platforms and switched out his smartphone for an old school flip phone, allowing himself to put a new focus on writing music and staying in the moment. With a new batch of music ready to go, he recruited Ian Fitchuk and Daniel Tashian, who produced Kacey Musgraves' Golden Hour, to work on the project. Released in 2020, the incredibly personal Sunday Drive showed off a more organic, stripped-down sound that gave a new depth to Eldredge's sound.

A longtime fan of classic crooners like Frank Sinatra, Eldredge has also recorded two retro, big band-inspired holiday albums: 2016's Glow and 2021's Mr. Christmas. Although most know Eldredge for his vocal talents and energetic personality, he's also proved himself as a truly gifted songwriter. The vast majority of the tracks within his musical catalog have either been fully written or co-written by Eldredge, which is one of the reasons why his music consistently feels authentic, raw and heartfelt.

Eldredge is gearing up to release his fifth studio album, Songs About You, on June 17. Fans have gotten a sneak preview of what's to come from this latest collection of music with the release of the record's heartbreaking title track, along with follow-up cuts "Wait Up For Me" and "I Feel Fine."

Ahead of this new batch of music, let's take at eight great country songs written by Brett Eldredge and recorded by other artists.