Oliver Paul Finds Honest Direction in Uncertainty on “Find Your Footing”

“Find Your Footing” captures the uneasy space between leaving university and facing a future without clear directions. Oliver Paul channels that uncertainty into raw art punk, post-punk, and power pop, creating a song that feels intentionally imperfect because its emotional subject is imperfect too.

Recorded in Sam Cook’s father’s study in roughly two hours, the performance emerged through a few takes. Slightly messy playing remains audible, but that roughness becomes an advantage. The song feels immediate and human, qualities excessive correction could easily flatten.

Cook’s production contribution is equally important. Their collaboration began after meeting at a Black Country, New Road concert, developing into a partnership centered on care. Cook wanted Paul to be thrilled with the finished song, not satisfied. That attitude is audible in the balance between spontaneity and detail.

Paul’s writing carries the emotional core. “Find Your Footing” speaks directly to fear about the future while allowing cynicism to interrupt its reassurance. That tension prevents the message from becoming motivational wallpaper. Uncertainty remains uncertainty, but the song offers companionship inside it.

Paul’s philosophy of leaving things out also shapes the release. His attention to small details, including motifs that appear only once, suggests an artist already thinking carefully about restraint and memory.

The promotional ARG adds another layer of personality, even if only a handful of listeners completed it. It shows an artist willing to make discovery part of the experience. “Find Your Footing” ultimately feels like a sincere first step: messy, melodic, anxious, funny, and alive.